Hiroshima Castle

In 1589 during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period, the construction of this castle great castle began. On April 15, Naritoki Ninomiya and Motokiyo Hoita were placed in charge of the building of this castle. During the next year, plans for the castle grounds and the buildings it would include were planned. The large constructions such as the moat were starting to take shape. In 1591, Mori Terumoto finished building this magnificent castle on the Otagawa River delta. He then moved in two years later. This castle brought a lot of people into the town. New constructions for the area were built, (bridges and roads). These allowed trade and communication to prosper.

Later, Fukushima took Terumoto's place at Hiroshima. A disastrous flood created a lot of destruction to the castle. Fukushima asked the government to repair the damage, but his pleas were left in the air. The Tokugawa law said that to build or fix any castle, one needed to ask the government. Since Fukushima never got permission he decided to do it himself. When the government found out, he was taken away and the castle became the government's.

The Sino-Japanese War made the Hiroshima Castle known throughout the land because on September 15, 1894, Emperor Meiji decided to stay at the Hiroshima Castle and direct forces from there. The emperor left 7 months later, but during the time he stayed there, the city grew industrially and economically. Trade flourished and people went to and through the city.

In 1931, the Hiroshima was named a National Treasure, but was bombed juss a few years later by an atomic bomb. The present day building was reconstructed later in 1958.