55Inside of Saga Castle

The floor area of the Saga Castle main palace was roughly 8,000 square meters, and it served as the residence of the feudal lord and also as the government office where administrative activities were carried out. In the Nakaoku where the lord normally resided, there were various facilities such as a bathing space called Ofuroya and a bedroom called Goshinjo. Oku was the residence of the concubines of Lord Naomasa; it was surrounded by walls and occupied solely by women. The main entrance, the ceremonial hall and the official ceremonial hall were public spaces used for the domain’s official events and for receiving guests, and were considered the most important places of the Saga Castle main palace. This castle was also equipped with administrative office buildings, and many samurai commuted to the main palace. The main palace was busy with between 200 and 300 people during the day, and the palace kitchen provided meals for the Lord as well as others.