The Seizansō (西山荘), also known as the Nishiyama Goten (西山御殿) was the retirement villa of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second daimyō of Mito Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. It is located in the city of Hitachiōta, Ibaraki. The villa was designated a National Historic Site and its gardens a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2007.[1]

Seizansō
西山荘
Seizansō
Seizansō is located in Ibaraki Prefecture
Seizansō
Seizansō
Seizansō is located in Japan
Seizansō
Seizansō (Japan)
Alternative namesNishiyama Goten (西山御殿)
General information
Town or cityHitachiōta, Ibaraki
CountryJapan
Coordinates36°32′28.5″N 140°30′22.7″E / 36.541250°N 140.506306°E / 36.541250; 140.506306
Estimated completion1690
Renovated1819
Website
Official website

Overview

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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, 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. Currently it is managed as part of the "Tokugawa Museum", a foundation controlled by the former Tokugawa clan, 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 residence for use by his guards and a Japanese garden.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "西山御殿跡(西山荘)". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 15 April 2020. (in Japanese)
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  Media related to Seizansō at Wikimedia Commons