Takamatsu Air Raid Site

The Takamatsu Air Raid (高松空襲) was one of the most devastating strategic bombing attacks on the Shikoku region during World War II. On the night of July 3-4, 1945, as part of a coordinated four-city incendiary attack on Shikoku and Himeji, 116 B-29 Superfortress bombers from the XXI Bomber Command struck Takamatsu City, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture.

The B-29s had departed on July 3 at 4:23 PM from bases on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian in the Mariana Islands. A total of 501 B-29s launched that afternoon as part of Tactical Missions 247-250, targeting Takamatsu, Kochi, Tokushima, and Himeji simultaneously. The 116 bombers assigned to Takamatsu arrived over the city between 2:56 AM and 4:42 AM on July 4, dropping 24 tons of high-explosive bombs and 809 tons of incendiary munitions — an average density of approximately 2.7 kg of incendiary bombs per 100 square meters.

The results were catastrophic. Approximately 3.85 square kilometers of the city center — roughly 80% of the built-up urban area — was reduced to ashes. A total of 18,913 buildings were destroyed, with 18,505 completely burned. The death toll reached 1,359 (including 221 children under age 10 and 206 youths aged 11-20), with 1,034 wounded and 186 missing. Approximately 86,400 residents were left homeless.

Among the most tragic losses was the complete destruction of Takamatsu Red Cross Hospital, where the inpatients and the medical staff on night duty are believed to have all been killed. Takamatsu Municipal Yotsubancho Elementary School was also completely burned. Takamatsu Castle's historic Sakura Gate (桜門) was demolished in the attack. Multiple railway lines through the city were severed.

The scale of destruction made this the worst air raid in Shikoku — surpassing the simultaneous attacks on Kochi and Tokushima. The city's postwar reconstruction took decades, with urban planning completed by 1970. In 1975, thirty years after the raid, the remains of a mother and her three-year-old child were discovered at a site in the city center, a poignant reminder of the devastation. Today, Takamatsu City maintains the Takamatsu Peace Memorial Hall (高松市平和記念館) to educate future generations about the air raid and promote peace.