KURAYOSHI

city, Tottori ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along a tributary of the Tenjin River and occupies a strategic position on a plain bounded (south) by the Chugoku Range. The city was the capital of Hoki province (now in Tottori prefecture) from early historical times. A commercial centre, it developed its textile industry late in the Tokugawa period (16031867); the city is identified with a distinctive cotton cloth known as Kurayoshi-kasuri (Kurayoshi splashed pattern). Its modern industrial products include silk, agricultural machinery, beverages, and wood articles. Pop. (1980) 52,270; (1990) 51,835.