Nihonkoku ōezu 日本國大繪圖 [日本国大絵図]

This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or.75.f.13(1)
  • Former Reference
    • GB 59 Pr. Or. 93
  • Dates of Creation
    • [1684-1688]
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 sheet Condition: Good. Impression: Sharp and clear, shozuri or near. Seals of ownership: Octagonal British Museum stamp, MVSEVM BRITANNICVM, on reverse of map. Manuscript notes: Note on paper slip pasted below daisen on front cover: Japanese map of Japan. Old shelfmark: Pr: Or: 93.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Shinpan Nihonkoku ōezu 新板日本國大繪圖 [新板日本国大絵図]. Author/compiler: Unknown. Imprint: N. p., n.d. [Jōkyō period, 1684-88]. No colophon, but see Edition below. Description: 1 folding map, made up of 4 sheets pasted together vertically, in a box. 694 x 1665 mm. Blockprint. Printing frame 68 x 1652 mm. Single-line borders. Text-matter chiefly in kanji, with some katakana. Original dark blue covers (231 x 14 mm.), with original printed title slip. Gedai: Shinpan (tsunogaki) Nihonkoku ōezu 新板 (角書) 日本國大繪圖. No naidai. Edition: Akioka (see References below) cites three maps with this title, printed before Hōei period (1704-11). All are undated, but Akioka assigns them all to Jōkyō 2-3 (1685-86). The present map may have been printed slightly later, since it differs in minor detail from all three but, like Akioka's third map, shows Matsumae 松前 in Hokkaidō and not as a separate small island. It also gives the revenue of Odawara Inaba Tango 小田原稲葉丹後 as 115,000 goku (greater than in the other 3 editions). The present map may therefore date from the latter half of Jōkyō period, c. 1687-88. Contents: Map of Japan, designer unknown, showing fiefs, castles and inns. Hand-coloured in green, yellow, mauve and blue. A panel along lower edge lists provinces and their revenues, grouped in the 7 traditional dō 道.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Purchased from the estate of Engelbert Kaempfer by Sir Hans Sloane 1723-1725 and incorporated in the British Museum in 1753.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993). C. Japanese works 和書 8. Literature - poetry 国文-詩歌 d. Jōruri 浄瑠璃

Bibliography

Tōhoku daigaku fuzoku toshokan betchibon mokuroku 東北大学附属図書館別置本目録, p. 53.