city, (metropolis) (Tokyo), Honshu, Japan, on the Chūō Line (railway), west of Tokyo. A castle town in the Middle Ages, it prospered as a market and post town during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867). Hachiōji has long been well known as a silk-weaving centre. After the late 19th century, the textile industry developed rapidly, and the city became one of the leading weaving centres of the Kantō Plain.

After World War II, Hachiōji also grew as a residential suburb of Tokyo. Industrial products now include electrical machinery, precision instruments, and synthetic textiles. The city is the main commercial market for the western part of the Tokyo–Yokohama Metropolitan Area and neighbouring communities in other prefectures. Nearby Takao-yama (Mt. Takao; 1,968 ft 【600 m】) is a holiday resort. Pop. (2005) 560,012.