1850 Edo Period Woodcut Map of Edo or Tokyo, Japan
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Description: This extraordinary item is a hand colored Edo Period woodcut map of Edo, or Tokyo, Japan. Impressive level detail. This map is in fact a smaller variation on a larger map printed in 1849. Produced in the mid 19th century Japanese woodcut style, this map is a rare combination of practical and decorative. Ships and waves decorate the harbor and there is no specific directional orientation. All text seems to radiate from the center of the map. Folds into its original sideboards. A must for any serious collection of Japanese cartography.
Date: 1850
Cartographer: Japanese cartography appears as early as the 1600s. Japanese maps are known for their exceptional beauty and high quality of workmanship. Early Japanese cartography has its own very distinctive projection and layout system. Japanese maps made prior to the appearance of Commodore Perry and the opening of Japan in the mid to late 1850s often have no firm directional orientation, incorporate views into the map proper, and tend to be hand colored woodblock prints. This era, from the 1600s to the c. 1855, some consider to be the Golden Era of Japanese cartography. Later Japanese maps, produced in the late Edo and throughout the Meiji period, draw heavily upon western maps as models for their own work. While many of these later maps maintain elements of traditional Japanese cartography such as the use of rice paper, woodblock printing, and delicate hand color, they also incorporate western directional orientation, projection systems, and structural norms. Click here for a list of Japanese maps.
Size: Printed area measures 19 x 17 inches (48.26 x 43.18 centimeters)
Condition: Very good condition. Folds into small booklet. Minor stains on left side of image. Minor damage on original folds. Good margins. Blank on verso.
Code: EdoSm-japan-1850 (Necessary for phone orders : 646-320-8650)
Framing: We offer optional framing services. The fee to frame and mat this map is 350.00 USD plus 35.00 USD shipping. This optional service is in addition to the cost of the map itself. Conservation framing is an excellent way to beautify and protect your antique map. Click here to read about our framing services and see our frame samples. To order framing, please call our customer service number.
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