Ritsurin Garden, the Inland Sea, and the gateway to Shikoku's 88 temples
Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku island — the smallest of Japan's four main islands — and a city that punches well above its size in cultural weight. Ritsurin Garden, built over 100 years by local feudal lords, is arguably the finest strolling garden in Japan and sits at the foot of Mount Shiun. The city is the gateway to the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage (the Ohenro), one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in Asia, and the jumping-off point for the art islands of the Inland Sea.
Takamatsu grew around Takamatsu Castle (1588), one of the three great 'water castles' of Japan — its towers rose directly from the sea, and boats could enter the castle through water gates. The castle was the seat of the Matsudaira clan (a branch of the Tokugawa shogunate) for 250 years, and the associated Ritsurin Garden was developed by successive lords between 1625 and 1745. The city was heavily bombed in World War II, and most of the old castle buildings were lost, but the garden and the remaining turrets survive.