Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, which has taditionally been called the gateway to shikoku, with the whole land of the prefecture jutting out into the Seto Inland Sea like a porch.
JR Takamatsu Station next to Takamatsu Harbor is the terminal of the Kotoku Line for Tokushima Pref. the Yosan Line for Ehime Pref. and the Dosan Line for Kouchi Pref., while serving as the bus teminal to Tokushima, Matsuyama and Kouchi City. Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR Station is the tepminal of Kotoden trams to and from Kotohira, the seat of 'Kompira-san'.
The New Takamatsu Airport handles non-stop fligths to and from Seol, Korea.
Another place in Takamatsu appropriate as a gateway to Shikoku is theTakamatsu Heike Monogatari Historical Museum 高松平家物語歴史館 that features not only the famous historical litarature called Heike Monogatari but also 50 great historical figures clsery associeaed with Shikoku or native to Shikoku.
Takamatsu because the capital in 1587 with the advent of Lord Ikoma I as governor of Sanuki Province. The castle he brilt on the harbor was succeeded by 4 generations of his descendants, and then by 11 generations of Matsudaira lords, governing Takamatsu Province with a fief of 120,000 koku.
One ninth of the former castle ground is preserved as Tamao Koen Park 玉藻公園 across the street from JR Takamatsu Station. The donjon is gone, but two of the 15 turrets and Mizute Gomon Gate from the 17th century (Important Cultural Properties) survied the air raid in 1945. Admission: \100.
Traditionally the popular sightseeing sports in Takamatsu are Ritsurin Koen Park near downtown and Yashima Piateau overlooking the city and the Island sea. They are accessible by bus or tram, with terminals at Takamatsu Chikko 高松築港 just opposite JR Station.
◎ 30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
The busy street in front of JR Takamatsu is the main street of downtown Takamatsu, and leads to the main gate to Ritsurin Koen Park , a National Special Sceic Spot. This spacious garden laid out with shapely mounds, cool ponds and about 160 varieties of trees and flowers provides a classic example of a Japanese garden or even a Chinese Taoist paradise fit for meditation.
Originally it belonged to a local warlord, and then to Lord Ikoma . When it was transferred to the Matsudairas, spent five generations developing it into a lager stroll-type garden for thier villa.Seasonal charms of flowers and blossoms such as ume (Japanase plum brossoms) in February, camellias in March, cherry brossoms in April, wistria and azaleas in August, and Japanese bush clover in September, and brilliant maple leaves in November add to the pleasure of strolling.
Kikugetsu-Tei 掬月亭, one of the pond-side teahouses, was originally one of the Matsudairas'formal buildings. The museum just inside the main gate 讃岐民芸館 houses a variety of mostly local handcrafts. There is a zoo, inside the gate.
Open daily. Admission to the park:About \300.
Bus: 30minuters' ride from Chikko to the terminal
(Kotoden Bus for Yashima-sanjo or Yashima hilltop 屋島山上)
Tram + Cable: 30minutes' tram ride from Chikko
to Yashima (Shido-sen Line 志度線) + 5 minutes'cable-car ride.
Yashima, a pine-wooded tableland to the northeast of downtown Takamatsu, is one of the world's rare lavamesas, about 290m high, 3km wide, jutting 5km out into the sea.
The hilltop, overlooking the archupelago the In Sea, features Yashima-ji 屋島寺, an aquarium and observatories all linked by forest promenades.
One of the observatories, Dankorei 談古嶺, commands aview of the inlet fringed with memorials to the Gempei Yashima Battle（the second last battle in Gempei War fought between the two rival clans, the Minamotos and the Tairas）.
Once a British poet, Edmund Blunden, visited Yashima and wrote a poem that was engraved on a stone here at Dankorei observatory:
In 794 Kyoto became the capital of Japan and it enjoyed peace for about 350 years（811-1155）― the longest peace Japan has ever attained in her history.
The last 30 years of this period, however, were far from pwaceful. In 1156 the first battle took place in the capital, thus opening up a new era dominated by martial emotions. Two martial clans ―the Minamoto and Taira clans ― began to acquire greater and greater infruence in politics through fighting against sach other in the name of "the Emperor" or"the Ex-Emperor".
In 1159, the Tairas succeeded temporarily in staving off the Minamotos. The 20 years that followed saw the Tairas rise to increasingly control the Imperial family, invisiting animosity from the reigning Emperors, the Ex-Emporers, powerful priests, warriors and lords, to say nothing of the Minamotos in exile.
In 1181 the patriarch of the clan Taira no Kiyomori died just when the Tairas faced more battles against the Minamotos, who were gradually consolidating their power.
In 1183 the Tairas were driven from the Capital along with the 6-year-old Emperor Antoku and his mother, who was Kiyomori's daughter. They wandered far in search of supporters, while fighting losing battles.
Now in 1185, Minamoto no Yoshitsune attacked the remaining Tairas here at Yashima, then at Dan-no-ura in the westermost corner of the Inland Sea, where the proud Taira finally fell, the noblewomen casting themselves into the sea with the child Emperor Antoku.
thus the age of ancient nobility yielded to the age of Shoguns.
Yashima-ji Temple 屋島寺 treasures in its mueseum a folding screen depiciting the Gempei no Kassen Battles. The bell in the belfry, cast in Kyoto in 1223, was dedicated here for the respose of the defeated Tairas. But no one can strike the bell, as there is no hammer. They say, "Strike the bell, and invoke the ghosts of the Tairas."
On the last weekend in aMarch the Gempei Yashima Festival is held, whose highlight is the Warrios' Pageant.
It was an insurrection caused by the discord between Emperor Goshirakawa (1127-92) and Ex-Emperor Sutoku (1119-64). Sutoku was defeated and banished to Sanuki (Kagawa Pref.) to die a miserable death 8 years later. His ashes were buried at Temple 81. In 1184 the court elevated him to Shinto deiry to placate his ghost.
Minamoto no Yoshitune (1159-89):By bringing about victory in the civil war, Yoshitune had greatly helped Minamoto no Yoriomo, his elder brother, who in 1192 was to establish the first Shogunate at Kamakura. But Yoshitune had to spend the rest of his life escaping Yoritomo, until four years later so appealing to Japanese settiment that he has taken on heroic proportion in Kabuki, Nor and Joururi plays, based on what is called Yoshitune Literature.
Very few Japanese visit Yashima without being reminded of an episode shown in the picture above:
It was on the afternoon of February 19,1185, that Minamoto no Yoshitune mounted another surprise attack against the Tairas at the then Yashima Island. Frightened by the imagined immensity of enemy forces, the Tairas jumped into their boats and sailed off. A fierce battle lasted for hours.
Now the sun was setting. Both sides began to retreat, when a fair vessel parted from the Taira legions and stopped about 80 m from the beach. Then a beautiful lady appeared from the cabin, produced a pole with a bright red fan on its top and beckoned to the puzzled warrious on the shore.
"What does she mean?" said Yoshitune.
"Perhaps she is inviting one of us to shoot the fan. Or she may be inviting you to come out o the front line for her archers," said his attendant.
"Then let it be shot down by someone," said Yoshitune.
Soon a young man called Nasu no Yoichi appeared on horseback with bow and arrow in his hands. The north wind was strong. The boat was tosssing up and down. The fan painted with the golden sun at its center was flutteing on the pole.
All the Tairas in the boats and all the Minamoto on the shore were watching Yoichi. What would he do? Would he succeed?
Yoichi rode into the water as far as he could. But it was still about 70 m to the target. He closed his eyes and prayed. Then the wind fell for a moment. He shot. The arrow pierced throgh a littele above the rivet. The fan, flying up a moment or two, came floating down, glitering in the setting sun. There was great applause from both sides.
Then a man in armor appeared in the same boat. He began to dance an elegant dance perhaps in genuine appreciation of Yoichi's archery. Then Yoichi got another order and shot down the dancing man, too. Some said, " Good shot" But others said, "Not fair."
The Tairas were silent this time. Was it a precursor of their demise? Two months later, the Tairas finally fell.
◎ 3 minutes' walk after leaving the bus at Toshogu-mae 東照宮前. (Kotoden Bus:Yashima-sanjo ←→ Toshogu-mae ←→Chikko)
◎ 3 minutes' walk from the cable-car station.
This is an open-air museum laid out at the foot of Yashima Plateau. about 20 old rural buildings from various parts of Shikoku have been reassembled here, including a Farmer's Kabuki Theater, peasants' houses, a fishrman's house, a sugar mill, a shed for steaming mulberry bark to make paper, and workshops for making soy sauce and so on. There is a reprica of Kazura-bashi from Nishi Iyayama-son, too.
Open daily: 8:30 - 16:30. Admission: \500
On may 5, people incruding children from Shodoshima Island, from which the Kabuki Theater came here, stage an annual performance of their tradtional farmers' kagaki.
◎ 3 minutes' walk from Nihon Tabako-mae 日本タバコ前 Bus Stop after 10 minutes' ride from JR Takamatsu. (Kotoden Bus: Asahimachi 朝日町 Line)
◎ 30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
Japan's largest wax doll museum. The first floor is dedicated to the 41 dolls of historical figuers or modern men and women of celebrity who have been closely associated with Shikoku.
The one of Kobo Daishi in his nyujo has its own corner as a special exhibition.
The other dolls include:
Sakamoto Ryoma 坂本竜馬
Nakaoka Shintaro 中岡慎太郎
Nakahama Manjiro 中浜万次郎
Wenceslau de Moraes
Inokuma Genichiro 猪熊弦一郎
Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子
Ninomiya Chuhachi 二宮忠八
Setouchi Jakucho 瀬戸内寂長 (literature : 1922- )
Makino Tomitaro 牧野富太郎
Yasuoka Shotaro 安岡章太郎 (literature : 1920- )
Kgawa Toyohoko 賀川豊彦 (religion, social work, literature : 1888-1960)
Yokoyama Ryuichi 横山隆一 (cartoons : 1909- )
Terada Torahiko 寺田虎彦 (science, essay : 1878-1935)
Abe Yoshishige 阿部能成 (philosophy, education : 1883-1966)
Nambara Shigeru 南原繁 (philosophy, education : 1888-1974)
Masaoka Siki 正岡子規
Kotoku Shusui 幸徳秋水
Nakae Chomin 中江兆民
Kikuchi Kan 菊池寛(literature : 1888-1948)
Manabe Hiroshi 真鍋博(illustration : 1932-)
Yoshida Shigeru 吉田茂
Itagaki Taisuke 板垣退助
The second floor exhibits about 300 dolls portraying the 17 scenes from the Heike Monogatari or The Tale of the Tairas. The Saga, composed of a large number of revealing episodes, was and still is an inexhaustible source of Japanese literature and art. Some of the most famous scenes took place at the foot of Yashima Piateau at the northeastern tip of Takamatsu.
One hi-tech doll seen at
the end of the exhibition is what was called biwa hoshi or a brind
biwa-playing bard who traveled around chanting The Tale of The
Taira Family even before it was written down in the first half
of the 13th century. Its opening passage is