Japanese Maps : Yamato no kuni saikenzu

Nakamura, Kanjisai 中村, 敢耳斎

Japanese Maps

<p style='text-align: justify;'> Wood-block printed, commercial map of Yamato province, in Japanese, one sheet, folded, hand-coloured, oriented with north to the top (if the title and colophon are used as reference for orientation). The title is reported in the upper right side of the map. The alternative title Yamato saiken zu (Detailed map of Yamato) is reported in a mounted cover label. A colophon in the lower left section reports: the date of publication Kyōhō 20 (1735); the name of the creator Nakamura Kanjisai ; the name of collaborators Yōzan Saishundō , Takagi Kōsuke and Furukawa Chūbē; and the name of the publisher Hondaya Iemon.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The Tokugawa family started commissioning provincial maps at the beginning of the 17th century, as instruments to facilitate territorial control. Administrative provincial maps were then commonly collated to create national maps, and also inspired commercial maps like this one, meant to guide travellers. Commercial provincial maps focused on local attractions rather than on territorial administration.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The map shows relief pictorially, and uses pictorial elements and colour to put an emphasis on topographical features such as mountains and rivers, roads, and some temples and shrines (enlarged on the map). It marks the name of bordering provinces, major routes out of the province (with an indication of the distance to the destination they lead to), names of districts (in blocks) and other place names. In the upper left section, a list reports distances to several locations. The text in the lower right section lists famous places and local specialties in the province. </p>