Takamatsu (高松市, Takamatsu-shi) is located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island. For this reason it flourished under the Daimyo (feudal lords) as a castle town in the fiefdom of Takamatsu, during the Edo Period. 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 Period In 2004, construction of the Symbol Tower, the new symbol of Takamatsu, was completed.