Takamatsu

City in Kagawa prefecture, Shikoku island, Japan, on the Seto Naikai (Inland Sea); population (1990) 329,700. The main industries include the manufacture of machinery and foodstuffs, plus traditional products including lacquer ware, tissue paper, and udon (noodles). A railway ferry to Honshu island, which operated from 1910, was superseded by bridges completed in 1988. Takamatsu is a castle town of the Tokugawa family (1603–1868), Japan's longest ruling shogun dynasty. The castle, which is now a ruin, was built in 1588. Ritsurin Park, area 0.75 sq km/0.3 sq mi, was created for the Matsudaira samurai family and was opened to the public in 1875.