General Description
Antique Maps of Japan is a
selection of over 90 of the most attractive, remarkable, and historically
significant of these European and Japanese maps of Japan. The text by Hugh
Cortazzi tells the fascinating story of the encounter between the west and Japan
through the gradual process of mapping the island empire. Far-ranging Portuguese
explorers, Jesuit Fathers, Dutch merchants and English sea-captains, samurai and
shoguns populate this account, which is surprisingly rich in drama. Especially
enlightening is the authors emphasis on mutual influences, borrowings and
eventual co-operation between European and Japanese map-makers, often in opposition
to the Japanese authorities, who were set on sealing off their land from the
prying eyes of outsiders.
Weatherhill, New York and Tokyo 1992
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