Fukui [key], city, capital of Fukui prefecture, central Honshu, Japan. A modern textile center, it is especially noted for silk manufactures. It was an important silk-weaving center in the 10th cent. and became a castle town in the 16th cent. The city suffered a disastrous earthquake in 1948. Fukui prefecture, 1,647 sq mi (4,266 sq km), is bounded by Wakasa Bay and the Sea of Japan. It is mountainous, with a wide coastal plain and small streams. Rice growing, forestry, and poultry raising are major occupations. Tsuruga is the main port, and Takebu is an important town.
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