Maps of the World and Japan

Maps of the world began to be produced from the 15th century, based on explorations and surveys conducted by Europeans when they first began to circumnavigate the globe. Representative of these early efforts in cartography is the Great Map of Ten Thousand Countries, produced in Ming-dynasty China at the beginning of the 17th century by an Italian Jesuit missionary named Matteo Ricci.

Maps such as these, drawn by Europeans, were imported to Japan during the turmoil of the war era through to the time of unification in the late 16th century, when Japan was developing a broader world view and opening up to outside nations. These maps played an important role in the spread of geographical knowledge among Japanese people. In the Edo period (1603-1868), when the unrest began to stabilize, local efforts in land measurement and topographical surveying provided the people with a more precise understanding of their homeland, and from this time on, maps of Japan were actively produced.

Whilst comprised of only few works, this exhibition marks the first time for a folding screen featuring the Great Map of Ten Thousand Countries, donated to the museum last year, to be displayed to the general public. Other works on display include world maps dating from the Edo period as well as maps of Japan which developed in parallel. The representations of Japan in the maps created by Europeans are especially interesting to note.