city, Hyōgo ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. The town developed around a castle built by Bessho Naganori in 1468 and captured by the Hideyoshi clan in 1580. Subsequently, the economy centred on hardware manufacture, and, during the Meiji period (1868–1912), the city was a major supplier of hardware in Japan. After World War II the industry declined, and Miki was restructured as a satellite city of metropolitan Kōbe. Pop. (2005) 84,361.