Shikinaen

The garden was finished in 1799 in the reign of King Sho On, though work may have begun under his predecessor Sho Boku. The royal family used it as a second residence, and it served as a guesthouse for the investiture envoys who came from China to confirm each new king. The layout follows the Japanese stroll garden around a pond, and Ryukyuan and Chinese touches run through it.

The pond is fed by the Ikutokusen spring inside low curved walls of coral limestone, and two stone tablets beside the spring carry inscriptions by Chinese envoys. A Chinese-style arched bridge crosses the pond. A smaller bridge leads out to the hexagonal Chinese-style pavilion called the Rokkakudo, and across the water stands the red-tiled residence called the Udun. Plum, wisteria and other plantings mark the seasons.

The garden was first protected as a Place of Scenic Beauty in 1941. The Battle of Okinawa destroyed nearly everything, and after the war the listing was renewed in 1976. Naha began rebuilding in 1975 and the work took about twenty years. In 2000 the garden became a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and it joined the World Heritage list that December.