Construction began in 1620 during the
Edo period at the order of
Asano Nagaakira,
daimyō of the Hiroshima
han. Shukkei-en was constructed by
Ueda Sōko, who served lord Asano as chief retainer (
karō) of the domain and as a tea master. Since the
Meiji period, the garden served as the villa of the Asano family. When under
Emperor Meiji the
Imperial General Headquarters were relocated to Hiroshima, the emperor briefly lodged at the villa. The gardens were opened to the public, and in 1940 the Asano family donated them to Hiroshima Prefecture. Being a short walk from
ground zero of the
nuclear attack on Hiroshima, Shukkei-en suffered extensive damage, and then became a refuge for victims of the war. After renovations, it reopened in 1951. ==Gallery==