Guest Post by Takuma Goto
Originally published in 1843, the Dainihon kōtei ōezu (大日本行程大繪圖 transl.: Great Japanese Travel Map) illustrated the Japanese state and its borders at that time. The northern island of Ezochi (present-day Hokkaido), for instance, is not pictured on this map as it was not yet annexed into Japanese territory. This colonial acquisition occurs after the Meiji Restoration (1868). Our copy at OSU (pictured below) is a facsimile (printed in 1977) of an 1857 re-issue of the original version from 1843.
Dainihon kōtei ōezu ( 大日本行程大繪圖). 27 x 199 cm (unfolded)
The colorful Danihon kōtei ōezu shows hills and mountains in green, and the sea in blue, framing the island nation’s many coastlines. Red tombstone-shaped labels denote Japanese provinces, while yellow rectangular labels point to castles and their surrounding towns. Smaller dark red circles indicate minor cities, while larger orange-red circles denote major urban centers including Osaka, Kyoto, and Edo (modern-day Tokyo).
A close-up of the Japanese island of Honshu. A red circle denotes the city of Nara, indicating its size and importance. Kyoto (京) and Osaka (大阪) are marked with even larger circles.
A major feature of this map is the marking of pre-modern highways connecting Japan’s cities, temples, and shrines. The routes are dotted with the names of various inns where pilgrims and sojourners could rest while traveling the archipelago. As the nation’s capital, Edo is surrounded by many castles and has an abundant number of inns and lodges leading up to the city. The thick, red lines denote major roadways that span across the country, as opposed to the thinner, black lines which indicate smaller local roads.
Edo and the connecting roads are marked with red. The dotted lines on the water skirting the island denote common sea routes to the capital.
Read more about Japanese maps with materials from our collections:
Cartographic Japan: A History in Maps, edited by Kären Wigen, Sugimoto Fumiko, and Cary Karacas (University of Chicago Press, 2016).
Edo bakufu no Nihon chizu : kuniezu, shiroezu, Nihon zu by Kawamura Hirotada (Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 2010).
Japoniæ Insulæ : the Mapping of Japan; Historical Introduction and Cartobibliography of European printed maps of Japan to 1800 by Jason C. Hubbard (H&DG, HES & De Graaf Publishers BV, 2012).
A Malleable Map: Geographies of Restoration in Central Japan, 1600-1912 by Kären Wigen (University of California Press, 2010).
Nippon 200-nen chizu : Inō zu kara gendaizu made zenkoku 130-toshi no rekishi o tadoru by Imao Keisuke (Kawade Shobō Shinsha, 2018).
