is located in central
Kagawa Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
on the island of
Shikokuis the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a
core cityA is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities...
by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the
Inland SeaFormally named the , the Inland Sea is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the main islands of Japan. It serves as an international waterway, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Bay and provides a sea transport link to industrial...
, and is the closest port to
Honshuor Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Strait...
from Shikoku island. For this reason it flourished under the
Daimyois a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in premodern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
(feudal lords) as a castle town in the fiefdom of Takamatsu, during the
Edo PeriodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
. Takamatsu is a city with a large concentration of nationwide companies' branch offices, which play a large role in its economy, and it contains most of the federal government's branch offices for Shikoku.
is located in central
Kagawa Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
on the island of
Shikokuis the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a
core cityA is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities...
by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the
Inland SeaFormally named the , the Inland Sea is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the main islands of Japan. It serves as an international waterway, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Bay and provides a sea transport link to industrial...
, and is the closest port to
Honshuor Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Strait...
from Shikoku island. For this reason it flourished under the
Daimyois a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in premodern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
(feudal lords) as a castle town in the fiefdom of Takamatsu, during the
Edo PeriodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
. Takamatsu is a city with a large concentration of nationwide companies' branch offices, which play a large role in its economy, and it contains most of the federal government's branch offices for Shikoku. The castle tower formerly used as the symbol of the city was destroyed during the
Meiji PeriodThe , or Meiji era denotes the period in Japanese history during the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor . During this time, Japan began its modernization and rose to world power status...
In 2004, construction of the Symbol Tower, the new symbol of Takamatsu, was completed.
The Takamatsu metropolitan region has a population of 670,000, making it the largest in Shikoku.
Takamatsu Airportis a second class airport located south southwest of Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. It handles a very small number of international flights.It is equipped with an Instrument Landing System, VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, Distance Measuring Equipment, Airport Surveillance Radar, approach lights,...
is located in Takamatsu.
Geography and Demographics
As of March 1, 2006, the city has an estimated
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of 426,514 with a population
densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
of 1137 persons per km². The total area is 375.05 km² following the September 26, 2005 and January 10, 2006 expansions, in which the towns of
Shionoewas a town located in Kagawa District, Kagawa, Japan. On September 26, 2005 the town merged into the expanded city of Takamatsu and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
,
Murewas a town located in the suburbs of Takamatsu in Kita District, Kagawa, Japan. The north and south of the town are hilly, whereas the center is flat and suitable for housing development...
,
AjiAji was a town located in Kita District, Kagawa, Japan. On January 10, 2006 the town merged with four other towns into the expanded city of Takamatsu and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
,
Kagawawas a town located in Kagawa District, Kagawa, Japan. On January 10, 2006 the town merged with four other towns into the expanded city of Takamatsu and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
,
Konanwas a town located in Kagawa District, Kagawa, Japan. On January 10, 2006 the town merged with four other towns into the expanded city of Takamatsu and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
, and
KokubunjiKokubunji was a town located in Ayauta District, Kagawa, Japan. On January 10, 2006 the town merged with four towns from two other districts into the expanded city of Takamatsu and no longer exists as an independent municipality.,...
merged into the city.
History and tourism
The city was officially founded on February 15, 1890. It had been a political and economic center in this area since the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
when the
Matsudaira clanThe was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
made Takamatsu the capital of their
hanThe , or domains, were the fiefs of feudal lords of Japan that were created by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and existed until their abolition in 1871, three years after the Meiji Restoration. The number of han varied; typically, there were around 300 han in the Edo period. Most were led by a daimyo whose...
.
Since the opening of the
Great Seto BridgeThe , or Seto-Ohashi Bridge, is a series of double deck bridges connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures in Japan across a series of five small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Built over the period 1978 - 1988, it is one of the three routes of the Honshū-Shikoku Bridge Project connecting Honshū...
, trains service carries passengers between Takamatsu and Uno (
Tamano, Okayamais a city located in the southern Okayama, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 68,169 and the density of 658.26 persons per km². The total area is 103.56 km².The city was officially founded on August 3, 1940....
).
The city's major tourist attraction is
Ritsurin Parkis one of the most famous and most beautiful historical parks in Japan. The park is situated in the city of Takamatsu and is considered one of its main attractions...
, a beautiful garden, created in the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
.
Takamatsu Castle'sis located in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, Japan. This castle is also called Tamamo Castle. It was built in 1590.This castle is well-known as one of the three 'Mizujiro', literally 'Castles in the sea' in Japan, with Imabari Castle in Ehime Prefecture and Nakatsu Castle...
tenshu (keep) is being reconstructed and will be a tourist attraction when completed.
Economy
Asiana AirlinesAsiana Airlines is an airline based in Seoul, South Korea and is one of South Korea's two major airlines, along with Korean Air. Asiana is one of six airlines to receive a five-star rating from Skytrax...
operates a sales office on the twelfth floor of the Nihon Seimei Ekimae Building in Takamatsu.
Sister Cities
Takamatsu is twinned with:
- Sister Cities
- USA St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The city is known as a vacation destination for North American and European vacationers. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 248,232. As of 2006, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 248,098. The 2007...
, United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- France Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
- Friendship Cities
- People's Republic of China Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. Nanchang is famous for its scenic lakes, mountains, rich history and cultural sites.-Geography:...
, People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
In Literature
- Takamatsu is one of the settings in Haruki Murakami
is a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim, and he is the sixth recipient of the Franz Kafka Prize for his novel Kafka on the Shore...
's novel Kafka on the Shoreis a novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami . John Updike described it as a "real page-turner, as well as an insistently metaphysical mind-bender"...
.
External links