One of the final works of English architect Josiah Condor before his death in 1920 was the Tokyo manor of Duke Tadashige Shimazu, a house built in Italian Renaissance style that has become the symbol of Seisen University.
Condor, who first arrived in Japan in 1877 and is known as the father of modern Japanese architecture, also designed the Rokumeikan (Deer Cry Hall) and Nicholai-do cathedral in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, as well as the luxurious house of Hisaya Iwasaki, son of the founder of the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, in Taito Ward.
Sitting on a hill a 10-minute walk from JR Gotanda Station, the two-story house boasts 108 stained-glass windows and a large balcony on the south side overlooking a spacious garden. While not as extravagant or large as some of Condor's other works, this manor emanates simple but classic beauty.
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