Matsue (Japanese: 松江市, Hepburn: Matsue-shi) is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 202,008 (February 1, 2021) following the merger with Higashiizumo from Yatsuka District.
Matsue is located at the northernmost point of Shimane Prefecture,  between Lake Shinji and Nakaumi on the banks of the Ohashi River connecting the two lakes, though the city proper reaches the Sea of Japan coast. Matsue is the center of the Lake Shinji-Nakaumi metropolitan area, and with a population of approximately 600,000 is the second largest on the Sea of Japan coast after Niigata.
Matsue is home to the  Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle, one of the last surviving feudal castles in Japan.

 The city is also known for its historic temples, and traditional festivals.
The area around Matsue has been settled since prehistoric times, and archaeologists have found stone tools from the Japanese Paleolithic period (ca. 20,000 BC) in nearby Sakaemachi. The area was part of the ancient Izumo Province until Nara Prefecture was divided into provinces in 667 AD; it then became part of Shimane Province which took its name from Shimane District where Matsue now stands.

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