Ordered in 1939 under the 4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme, Shimakaze was laid down in Maizuru Naval Arsenal in August 1941 and completed on 10 May 1943.
Japan had intended to lay down 16 similar destroyers, with long-term plans-the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme-for a total of 32 to equip four destroyer squadrons, but a lack of industrial capacity prevented them from being realized.