Changes

[[Mori Terumoto]] began construction on a castle located on an island in the delta of the Otagawa (in [[Aki Province]]) in [[1589]]. The work on the moats and walls was finished in [[1593]], but it took until [[1599]] for the tenshu and other buildings to be completed. Mori called this part of his lands [[Hiroshima]] (wide island). Shortly after the Mori found themselves on the losing side at the [[Battle of Sekigahara]] in [[1600]], this part of their holdings was given to the former Toyotomi loyalist, [[Fukushima Masanori]]. Fukushima was watched closely by the Tokugawa Shogunate and the castle suffered severe flood damage in [[1617]]. Fukushima asked the Shogunate for permission to repair this damage, but never received an answer. Undaunted, he proceeded with repairs in [[1619]]. This provided the Tokugawa with the excuse they needed to strip Fukushima of this fief, moving him to a much smaller fiefdom near [[Kawanakajima]]. Hiroshima was then turned over to the [[Asano]] clan who held it until the [[Meiji Restoration]] in [[1871]]. As happened to many castles during this era, all of the buildings except for the tenshu were destroyed by the government (castles were seen as a potential center for rebellions against the Imperial government).  

[[Mori Terumoto]] began construction on a castle located on an island in the delta of the Otagawa (in [[Aki province]]) in [[1589]]. The work on the moats and walls was finished in [[1593]], but it took until [[1599]] for the tenshu and other buildings to be completed. Mori called this part of his lands [[Hiroshima]] (wide island). Shortly after the Mori found themselves on the losing side at the [[Battle of Sekigahara]] in [[1600]], this part of their holdings was given to the former Toyotomi loyalist, [[Fukushima Masanori]]. Fukushima was watched closely by the Tokugawa Shogunate and the castle suffered severe flood damage in [[1617]]. Fukushima asked the Shogunate for permission to repair this damage, but never received an answer. Undaunted, he proceeded with repairs in [[1619]]. This provided the Tokugawa with the excuse they needed to strip Fukushima of this fief, moving him to a much smaller fiefdom near [[Kawanakajima]]. Hiroshima was then turned over to the [[Asano]] clan who held it until the [[Meiji Restoration]] in [[1871]]. As happened to many castles during this era, all of the buildings except for the tenshu were destroyed by the government (castles were seen as a potential center for rebellions against the Imperial government).  

[[Emperor Meiji]] lived in the castle for seven months during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, and during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the castle was used as a barracks for troops.  

[[Emperor Meiji]] lived in the castle for seven months during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, and during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the castle was used as a barracks for troops.