MASUDA

city, Shimane ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. It lies in the basin of the Takatsu River, near the Sea of Japan. The commercial hub of the surrounding agricultural region, Masuda has a few rural industries such as tatami mat production, silk manufacture and spinning, and lumbering. It is also a small trade centre for charcoal and lumber. The San-in Line (railway) between Kyoto and Shimonoseki runs through the city. Pop. (1980) 52,756; (1990) 52,408.