city, eastern Hiroshima ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, on the delta of the Ashida River, facing the Inland Sea. A small fishing village before the construction of the Fukuyama Castle in 1619, it developed as a commercial port for the surrounding region during the Tokugawa era (1603–1868). Its importance grew with the opening of the railway line between Kōbe and Moji in 1901. Fukuyama was heavily damaged during World War II, but industrialization has been rapid since 1964. Besides the traditional spinning industry, the manufacture of kotos (Japanese zithers), machinery, steel products, rubber, and processed foods is important. Pop. (2005) 459,087.