Fukui, city in central Japan on Honshu Island, in north central Fukui Prefecture, about 16 km (about 10 mi) from the Sea of Japan (East Sea) coast. Fukui is the capital of Fukui Prefecture and the main city of the Fukui Plain, a low-lying region with coastal sand dunes and inland rice crops. The city has been a center of textile weaving since about the 10th century, when cottage industries flourished in the area. It is now a major producer of silk and synthetic fibers such as rayon. Other industries include machinery manufacturing and food processing. Fukui is a major rail junction and is well connected by expressway to the major urban centers of Honshu. The ruins of a fortress and castle are popular local attractions. In the late 15th century the shugo daimyo (provincial military lord) Asakura Toshikage took control of what was then Echizen Province and built a fortress at Ichijodani (now part of Fukui). In 1573 Toshikage's fortress was seized by the daimyo (feudal lord) Oda Nobunaga, and two years later Fukui was established as the castle headquarters of Nobunaga's warrior captain, Shibata Katsuie, when he took control of the province. Fukui is known as “Phoenix City” because it has been successfully rebuilt from World War II bombing raids in 1945 and a devastating earthquake in 1948. Population (1999) 250,255.
