Hotta mansion

Main gate to the mansion compound

One section of the mansion, as seen from the garden

• Built: 1890, Hotta Masatomo
• Japanese: 旧堀田邸 (kyuu hotta tei)

The kyû-Hotta-tei is a Meiji period mansion in Sakura, Chiba, built in the style of daimyô mansions of the Edo period. It was built by Hotta Masatomo, the last lord of Sakura han, in 1890, in anticipation of his return to Sakura from Tokyo. Designated as a national Important Cultural Property, it is one of the best preserved traditional-style daimyô residences in the country.

The main portion of the residence consists of interlinked single-story wooden buildings, with one two-story section. A bathhouse was added in 1911 when Masatomo hosted the Crown Prince Yoshihito. Many of the buildings on the compound have thick plastered walls for fireproofing.

The mansion's garden combines the Western element of a sprawling lawn with stone lanterns, well-placed rocks, pines, cypresses and other elements of traditional Japanese gardens.

References

• Pamphlets available on-site.