Sengan-en was built in 1658 by Shimazu Mitsuhisa as a residence for the lords of Satsuma.

The garden incorporates the dramatic natural scenery of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay as borrowed scenery, offering a place of rest and reflection for generations of Shimazu leaders.

The garden’s layout reflects the personal tastes of successive family heads and features plants, buildings, and stones influenced by China and other parts of Asia, symbolizing Satsuma’s role as Japan’s southern gateway.

In the late Edo Period, Nariakira built Japan’s first modern industrial zone adjacent to the garden. During the Meiji Period, Tadayoshi transformed Sengan-en into the family’s main residence.

Because of its historical value, Sengan-en was designated a National Scenic Site in 1958 and was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015.