The , also known as the was the retirement villa of

Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming the seco ...

, the second ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' of

Mito Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

of Japan. It is located in the city of

Hitachiōta, Ibaraki 250px, Seizan-so is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,074 in 19,327 households and a population density of 129.2 persons per km². . The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 36.2%. ...

. The villa was designated a National Historic Site and its gardens a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2007.

Overview

The Seizansō villa was constructed in 1690, and was the residence of Tokugawa Mitsukuni from 1691 unto his death in 1700. It was at this location that he gathered a number of history scholars from around Japan to compile the ''

Dai Nihonshi The ''Dai Nihonshi'' (大日本史), literally ''History of Great Japan'', is a book on the history of Japan. It was begun in the 17th century, during the Edo period, by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the head of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family. Af ...

'', a history of Japan, which was not finished until 15 years after his death. The villa burned down in 1817, but was rebuilt in 1819 by the 8th ''daimyō'' of Mito Domain,

Tokugawa Narinobu Tokugawa may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period **Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most nota ...

. Currently it is managed as part of the "Tokugawa Museum", a foundation controlled by the former

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

, and is open to the public as a museum. The building is a one-story structure with a thatch roof. The interior has rough walls, which reflects Tokugawa Mitsukuni's dislike for any form of ostentation. Outside the main structure is a smaller

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

residence for use by his guards and a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

Gallery

Seizanso, Ibaraki 01.jpg, Entry Seizansou3.JPG, A portion of the gardens Seizanso, Ibaraki 04.jpg, Nishiyama Goten Villa

References

External links

Official Home page

{{in lang, ja Hitachiōta, Ibaraki 1690s establishments in Japan Hitachi Province History of Ibaraki Prefecture Museums in Ibaraki Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Places of Scenic Beauty Tokugawa clan

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links