SANCTUAIRE KARATSU

Located about 500 meters southwest of the old Takatori residence, this main shrine of the Karatsu estate was founded in 755. It was rebuilt by the Terazawa family in the early 17th century, when Karatsu Castle was completed. In 1819, a man dedicated a large and beautiful papier-mâché red lion statue to this shrine. Nearby, in the small Hikiyama Tenjijo Museum, 14 of the famous lacquered paper mache floats of the Karatsu Kunchi Festival (early November) are displayed. One of the floats even dates back to 1819.