Seisonkaku, located in Kenrokuen Garden, was built in 1863 by Maeda Nariyasu, the 13th lord, for his mother. This two-story Yosemune (house with a hipped roof) with kokera roof (a roof of thin wooden shingles, typically made from Japanese cypresses) incorporating the shoin (a study) style for downstairs, as well as the sukiya style (the shoin style resembling a tea-ceremony room), is unparalleled in the country. This structure has been designated an important cultural asset.   Since it is located in the southeastern section (tatsumi) of the garden, it is also called the "Tatsumi Mansion". As the Queen's residence, the house is full of elegant and beautiful objects.   On the first floor, there is a colorful ranma (an openwork screen above the sliding partitions between two rooms) with carved openwork of flowers and birds, made by Takeda Yugetsu. The ranma is between the Ekken no Ma (the Audience Room), and the Tsugi no Ma (the Anteroom). The fusuma (a papered sliding door used to partition rooms in a Japanese house) in the Ekken no Ma is decorated with golden sand that forms a pattern of clouds.    On the second floor is the Gunzyo no Ma (the Ultramarine Room), in which ultramarine, a special product of the Kaga district, was used. The Shoken no Ma (the Reading Room), and the Ajiro-no-ma (the Ajiro Room) are also on the second floor.    Heirlooms passed down through the Maeda family, such as the Queen's costumes and furnishings and favorite items belonging to the lord, are exhibited in this building. The exhibition changes in keeping with the season, and is a reminder of how prosperous the fief of Kaga was in those days.    Additionally, every year an exhibition of Hina Dolls (displayed for the Girls' Festival) that have been passed down through the Maeda family is held from mid-February to June. There is also an exhibition of tools that have been passed down through the Maeda family. This exhibition is held from mid February to mid April.

Fee	600 yen
Open	9:00am - 5:00pm (No entry after 4:30pm)
Closed:	Wednesdays (Thursday if Wednesday falls on a holiday), December 29th, and January 2nd
Tel	+81-76-221-0580
Fax	+81-76-221-0593

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