Koubuntei Villa

Tokugawa Nariaki, ninth lord of Mito Domain, constructed Kairakuen gardens in 1841. The garden is designed not unlike a modern park as it was built to be enjoyed by members of the public ('Kairakuen' can be understood to mean “a garden to be enjoyed by everyone”). It is full of plum trees and is one

Background

Tokugawa Nariaki, ninth lord of Mito Domain, constructed Kairakuen gardens in 1841. The garden is designed not unlike a modern park as it was built to be enjoyed by members of the public ('Kairakuen' can be understood to mean “a garden to be enjoyed by everyone”). It is full of plum trees and is one of the 'Three Great Gardens of Japan'.

Kōbuntei is a villa on the site, built by Nariaki in 1842 as a residence for his wife and as a place to entertain guests. In Kōbuntei rooms are decorated with paintings of various Japanese trees: there is a room of bamboo, azalea, pine, plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, and so on. Poetry is written on walls in several rooms throughout the house.

Lord Nariaki was surely a man of the people and a patron of the arts. He would invite poets, artists, musicians and subjects to Kōbuntei. He would entertain any of his retainers who reached 80 years of age, and any resident of Mito Domain who turned 90, regardless of their social standing.

In addition to the main residence, the complex includes several gates with fetching thatching. Paths, fences, lanterns, and gardens surround the villa. The original structure was destroyed in Allied air strikes in 1945, but it was reconstructed in 1955.

Gallery

Koubuntei Villa

Middle Gate of Villa

Side gate

Hut

Roof detail

View of Kairakuen

Covered walkway from above

Wash basin; 'tsukubai' in Japanese

Garden around main residence

Roof ridges

Villa seen from Kairakuen

Ichinokido (1st gate); leads to Mousou Grove

Koubuntei Omotemon (Main Gate of Villa)

Kairakuen is famed for plum blossoms

Koubuntei Villa Profile
English Name	Koubuntei Villa
Japanese Name	好文亭
Year	1842; 1955 (reconstructed)
Residence Type	Daimyo
Features	Gates, Garden, House
Visitor Information	9:00-16:30; ¥230
Website	https://ibaraki-kairakuen.jp/kobuntei/
Location	Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
Castle	Mito Castle
Coordinates	36.37436, 140.4528
Mito Castle and nearby Samurai Homes
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