Shukkeien Garden was constructed in 1620 by Soko Ueda (who is known as a famous master of the tea ceremony) as the garden of the villa for the Asano clan. It's name (literally "shrunken-scenery garden") expresses the idea of collecting and miniaturizing many scenic views (mountains, rivers, thoroughfare in Kyoto, etc.), and according to tradition, the miniature landscape is modeled on Xihu (West Lake), a world-famous scenic spot in China.