MarkASwanson
Map Of Japan
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think maps illustrate this point very well. This particular map seems to day a lot about Japan's view of itself in the late 1700's. Dated to 1791, this map was made by the Japanese and portrays the four main islands of Japan, as well as a scattering of some of the smaller islands. What does this map tell us about Japan at that time?
I am particularly interested about what this map has to say about Japan's view of itself, or at least how the mapmaker wanted Japan to view itself. At the time of this map's creation, I would guess that Japan might have been struggling to create a sense of self. Although Japan was indeed its own country during this time, there was a great influx of ideas and influences from all around the world into Japan. For instance, Buddhism from India was becoming quite popular, influencing Japanese ideas about the 'ideal' way of life, as well styles of architecture and the role of religion in the government. The Chinese writing system was still widely used, and Chinese philosopher's strong ideas of higher culture were prevalent. Lastly, of course, the introduction of the what would become the new 'West', the persistent American culture had made its debut in Japan. With all of these outside cultures making their way into daily Japanese life, it surely was of great priority to the higher powers in Japan to establish a clear sense of 'Japanese' to hold the country together. Efforts to establish such a sense can be seen in maps like this one.
The thing that first jumps to my eye in this map is the writing. At the time, writing in Japan was done with Chinese characters, as Japan had not yet developed a writing system of its own. However, you can see traces of a beginning of the Japanese writing system on this map. Within the blocks of Chinese characters are scattered symbols which later become the two alphabets unique to Japanese writing. The writing on this map can no longer be called strictly Chinese, but rather a hybrid writing system created by the Japanese, and used only by the Japanese, a system to call their own. Apart from the writing, the general presentation of the map, the fact that Japan is solely displayed, with only a hint of another land in the very upper left corner of the map for reference, gives a sense of solitude. This solitude, combined with the depiction of trade routes and trading ports that create an enclosed circle all around the outside of Japan, portray a sense of self-sustainment. The map maker seems to be saying, "Look, we don't need anybody else, we have our own writing system, we have our own land mass, and we cannot support ourselves with our own trade. We are Japanese,"
Map Of Japan
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think maps illustrate this point very well. This particular map seems to day a lot about Japan's view of itself in the late 1700's. Dated to 1791, this map was made by the Japanese and portrays the four main islands of Japan, as well as a scattering of some of the smaller islands. What does this map tell us about Japan at that time?
I am particularly interested about what this map has to say about Japan's view of itself, or at least how the mapmaker wanted Japan to view itself. At the time of this map's creation, I would guess that Japan might have been struggling to create a sense of self. Although Japan was indeed its own country during this time, there was a great influx of ideas and influences from all around the world into Japan. For instance, Buddhism from India was becoming quite popular, influencing Japanese ideas about the 'ideal' way of life, as well styles of architecture and the role of religion in the government. The Chinese writing system was still widely used, and Chinese philosopher's strong ideas of higher culture were prevalent. Lastly, of course, the introduction of the what would become the new 'West', the persistent American culture had made its debut in Japan. With all of these outside cultures making their way into daily Japanese life, it surely was of great priority to the higher powers in Japan to establish a clear sense of 'Japanese' to hold the country together. Efforts to establish such a sense can be seen in maps like this one.
The thing that first jumps to my eye in this map is the writing. At the time, writing in Japan was done with Chinese characters, as Japan had not yet developed a writing system of its own. However, you can see traces of a beginning of the Japanese writing system on this map. Within the blocks of Chinese characters are scattered symbols which later become the two alphabets unique to Japanese writing. The writing on this map can no longer be called strictly Chinese, but rather a hybrid writing system created by the Japanese, and used only by the Japanese, a system to call their own. Apart from the writing, the general presentation of the map, the fact that Japan is solely displayed, with only a hint of another land in the very upper left corner of the map for reference, gives a sense of solitude. This solitude, combined with the depiction of trade routes and trading ports that create an enclosed circle all around the outside of Japan, portray a sense of self-sustainment. The map maker seems to be saying, "Look, we don't need anybody else, we have our own writing system, we have our own land mass, and we cannot support ourselves with our own trade. We are Japanese,"