[Complete and Detailed Revised Survey Map of the Empire].

Item image 1 of 4.

Seller: Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.Geographicus Rare Antique Maps

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since November 21, 2024

Association member: ABAAESAILAB

View this seller's items

Condition: Used

£ 939.89

£ 12.59 shipping 
Ships within U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket
Free 30-day returns

Item description from seller

Good. Wear along original fold lines. Some minor loss along fold lines and at fold junctions. Size 19 x 41.25 Inches. This is a striking 1893 Inoue Katsugor? folding map of the prefectures of Japan with vignette illustrations. It was issued to publicize administrative reforms adopted several years earlier, which reorganized territories and instituted a new model of local government. A Closer Look This map is roughly oriented towards the northwest to display Japan horizontally, as was typical with maps in the Edo and early Meiji periods. It was created to publicize administrative reforms that began in 1888, transforming local governance and reorganizing, or at least renaming, many existing administrations. Nevertheless, obsolete place names, such as Aki (??) for Hiroshima Prefecture here, continued to be used, and many would be used informally for years afterward. Below the main map of the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku are six inset maps, which (from left to right) represent the southern Ryukyu Islands (near Taiwan), the central and northern Ryukyu Islands (including Okinawa), Hachij?-jima and Aogashima in the Izu Islands, the Kuril Islands (Chishima), the Ogasawara or Bonin Islands, and Hokkaido. The legend (towards the bottom-left) presents administrative, geographic, and transportation information, along with famous and culturally significant sites. The distances between cities and famous sites by road, sea, and railway are also indicated. The illustrations surrounding the map are of two types: one being birds-eye views of Kyoto (here as the 'western capital' ??), Tokyo, and Osaka at bottom-center, and the other being views of famous sites throughout Japan, such as the Ise Grand Shrine (?????) at top-center towards top-left, Ueno Station (????????) at bottom-center towards bottom-left, and the Kiyomizu Temple (???) in Kyoto at top-right. The cover includes illustrations of trains, highlighting the ongoing modernization of Japan. Meiji Japan's Administrative Reforms Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan went through a series of administrative reforms meant to replace the feudal han system of the preceding Tokugawa period with a modern, bureaucratic state. On the one hand, the government aimed to centralize power in Tokyo to prevent opposition from recalcitrant samurai and others unhappy about the rapid, dramatic 'revolution from above' that was enacted in the years following 1868. On the other hand, over-centralization posed its own problems and prevented efficient handling of local issues. Moreover, localizing administration would bring citizens (or at least educated and landholding male ones) into the political process, improving their collective and national spirit. Thus, the Meiji government turned to the Prussian state as a model, as was the case with the Meiji Constitution proclaimed in 1889. Publication History and Census This map was made by Inoue Katsugor? (?????), who is also listed as its printer and publisher, in 1893 (Meiji 26, dated in faint print below the copyright ????). This is a second printing of the map, which was originally published in 1888 (Meiji 21). A virtually identical map with the same title and slightly different coloration (Rumsey Cb107, OCLC 21811802) was published around the same time by Kodama Matashichi (????), another prominent Tokyo publisher, suggesting either that one publisher bought the master woodblocks from the other or that the publishers were working in tandem. Curiously, the cover does not mention Inoue but indicates that this edition was by Kunshido? (???), yet a third major publisher in Tokyo. It appears likely that the government, aiming to quickly publicize the newly updated survey map of Japan, contracted with multiple publishers simultaneously, leading to confusing attribution of prints. References: OCLC 21802301 (1888 Ed.).

Seller Inventory # Japan-inoue-1893

Bibliographic details

Title
[Complete and Detailed Revised Survey Map of the Empire].
Author
1893 Inoue Katsugor? Map of Japan; Meiji Era
Publication year
1893
Seller catalogs
JAPAN-CHINA-KOREA

Geographicus Rare Antique Maps

Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since November 21, 2024

Association member:

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Item7 to 14 business days2 to 8 business days
First item£ 12.59£ 33.33
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

Store description

Geographicus Rare Antique Maps was founded in New York, New York, by Kevin James Brown in 1999. We are specialist antiquarians dealing in historic maps from all over the world and in all price ranges. Our enthusiasm, passion, and devotion to scholarship is expressed in our meticulously researched descriptions, among the most detailed and comprehensive available anywhere, for each and every rare map that passes over our desk. This same devotion guides the relationships of honesty and trust we have fostered with our clients, whether through purchasing or selling a rare map, getting an appraisal, or simply calling to discuss antique maps in general. We are happy to assist you no matter whether you are an interior decorator, an institution, an experienced collector, or are just looking for a single antique map. Geographicus is a member of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America), the ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers), the New York Map Society, the Washington Map Society, the IMCOS, and the Society for the History of Discoveries. While primarily an internet-based company, we are happy to meet with clients to show our antique maps by appointment at our New York City location.

Specialty

MAPS

Association member

  • Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
  • The Ephemera Society of America
  • International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.