Suifu-Meitokukai Foundation. [ Seizan-so ]

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The Seizan-so or the Mountain Villa of Seizan is in Hitachi Ota, 20 kilo meters to the north of Mito city in Ibaraki prefecture. Lord Mitsukuni Tokugawa, the second lord of the Mito domain,(1628-1700), spent his retired life in this villa. It was in the winter of 1690 when he resigned his office in the shogunate government as Vise Shogun, then he handed over the administration of his fief to his nephew Tsunaeda, and returned to his own domain in Mito. The emperor confered a Gon-Chunagon rank on him on that occasion. The rank name is metaphorically called "Komon" in Chinese. So people have called him Sir Komon ever since. Lord Mitsukuni lived in this villa from 1691, the following year to 1700 when he died at the age of 73.

The villa is a modest house with a thatched roof and is situated at the foot of the mountain which can be reached by tracing a path lying in the gorge. The waterfall and the pond in the garden had been watered from a montain stream when they were made. Lord Mitsukuni devoted the remainder of his life mainly to historical research and literary pursuit in this villa. The house later burned , but was partially restored to its original state fome 190 years ago as it exists today.

西山荘玄関、丸窓