The Kurashiki area is part of ancient
Bitchū Province and near the center of the ancient
Kingdom of Kibi. Records of human settlements date back to the
Japanese Paleolithic period, more than 20,000 years ago, and the city has numerous National Historic Sites from
Jōmon period shell middens,
Yayoi period settlement remains,
Kofun period burial mounds and
Nara period temple ruins. From the
Heian period, the estuary of the Takahashi River was a port, and the surrounding area was the setting for numerous battles. During the
Edo Period, the area had a complicated administration, with portions held by various feudal domains. The old town of Kurashiki and its port was held directly by the
Tokugawa shogunate as
tenryō territory and was a collection point for the annual rice taxes. Distinctive white-walled, black-tiled warehouses were built to store goods. The Kurashiki magistrate's office recognized the autonomy of the merchants and gave preferential treatment to them, resulting in an increase in the population as well as increased
kokudaka, and local industries included cotton cloth weaving and salt production. Following the
Meiji restoration, the village of Kurashiki was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on June 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1891 and to city status April 1, 1928. On August 1, 2005, the town of
Mabi (from
Kibi District), and the town of
Funao (from
Asakuchi District) were merged with Kurashiki. In 2002, Kurashiki was designed a
Core city with increased local autonomy. ==Government==