[Complete World Map].

1888 Yoshimura Sentaro? Japanese Map of the World

Publication Date: 1888

About this Item

Good. Slight loss along fold lines and at fold intersections. Even toning. Size 19.25 x 28 Inches. This is a rare and peculiar 1888 Yoshimura Sentaro? world map produced during the Meiji Period when the literate Japanese public was eager to learn about the world. A Closer Look at the Map This map places Japan at the center and uses Tokyo as the Prime Meridian. Coastal cities, islands, and major railways are meticulously noted. The map is quite up-to-date for its time, with place names included even in the little-known African interior. The flags of different countries and naval fleets line the top. Flags referring to the United States or its navy are absent, but there are several for Great Britain, its navy, and its colonies. Notably, Svalbard (????) and Nordaustlandet (???) appear outside the map's borders. At the bottom are a series of illustrations of major cities and landmarks around the world, including Beijing, the Ganges River, Isfahan, Paris, London, and Washington D.C. Odd Inaccuracies There are several strange inaccuracies on the map, perhaps the result of the mapmakers having previously focused on maps and books about Kyoto or other parts of Japan. Only the publisher, Nakamaura Asakichi, had been involved with producing a world map before, two years earlier (???? Bankoku seizu, by Got? Shichir?uemon). Among the inaccuracies are the islands east and northeast of Madagascar (Réunion, Mauritius, Seychelles) being far too large with names that differ from their names in modern Japanese. In the Pacific, despite noting the Aleutians and other island chains in great detail, the Hawaiian Islands are absent. There are even inaccuracies close to Japan. Among these are the naming of Jeju Island as Kitaelle (??????) and Iki Island as Etebacht (??????); these may be transliterations of Dutch or Portuguese names. The map's title is the same as that of a 1620 map produced by the Italian Jesuit Giulio Aleni, which became widely disseminated in Tokugawa Japan. Aleni's map was adapted with katakana and published as Konyo Bankoku Zenzu . Thus, these odd, incomprehensible place names may be the end result of two or three levels of transliteration. The Height of Meiji Cartographic Art Stylistically, this map represents the height of the Meiji-era (1868 - 1912) cartographic tradition - wherein western style cartographic standards, lithographic printing, and imported inks, were combined with emerging Ukiyo-e color models and aesthetic values. It is part of a cartographic lineage that began with the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and continued until approximately 1895. Here, the boldly bright palette likely associates this map with aka-e (??; 'red pictures'), illustrations in vivid color achieved through imported German-made inks. Such maps began to fall out of fashion near the turn of the century when they were supplanted by more reserved printed color. Publication History and Census This map was made by Yoshimura Sentaro? (?????), based in Wakayama, and was printed and distributed by Kyoto-based Nakamaura Asakichi (????). It was sold by Fu?getsudo? (???), also in Kyoto. It was printed on July 1, 1888, published on July 5, and distributed in August of the same year (no exact date given). This map is held by the University of California Berkeley and the Japanese National Institutes for the Humanities. It is scarce to the market. References: OCLC 21788742.

Seller Inventory # World-yoshimura-1888

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [Complete World Map].
• Publication Date: 1888
• Seller catalogs:
  • WORLD-MAPS