SHINTEI KONYO RYAKU ZENZU: REVISED OUTLINE MAP OF THE WORLD.

SHIBATA, Shuzo.

About this Item

Edo 1852, Shibata. Yellow stiff covers, very good, woodblock printed, color outline map, egg-shaped projection of the world, Japanese text, sheet size: 1 meter 5.5 x 49 cm., map size 75.5 x 49 cm., woodbock printed on hand-made paper.RARE This work was based on the Mercator projection, which was getting popular during this period in Japan. But the author chose the egg shape projection to illustrate the very new & then accurate view of the world to the Japanese. Carved in wood block by Takeguchi Teisai. This beautiful work is ready for framing and wall decoration. * This work is historically important since it was published the year that Commodore Perry of America arrived in Japan to open trade. The author states that ".Ancient maps show a continent called MEGARANI SHU but there is no actual place with that name, and if so then there would be six continents. * On the South Ocean there is no continent except for New Holland and New Guinea." Some folds a bit tender, minor mended fold tears but otherwise clean, key to places, mountains, rivers, cities &c. * A handsome color example of Japanese woodcut and colored world cartography during the mid-19th century. World maps in Japan remained primitive due to the fact that they had little contact with the Western world until 1854. Contemporary Japanese maps remained influenced by the maps brought to Japan by the Dutch from 1600 onwards, and did not show much significant improvement when compared to contemporary Western maps. The Dutch were happy to keep the Japanese in the dark as to the true nature and latest discoveries in world cartography. * BIBLIOGRAPHY: Listed in G. Beans: LIST B, p.38, as 1852.4, * T. Oda: THE WORLD IN JAPANSE MAPS UNTIL THE MID-19TH CENTURY, p.212-213, as plate #95 *.

Seller Inventory # 93090901

Bibliographic Details

• Title: SHINTEI KONYO RYAKU ZENZU: REVISED OUTLINE MAP OF THE WORLD.