1805 Kitao Masayoshi Ukiyo-e Bird's-Eye View of Japan

First Bird's-Eye View of Japan.

This is an important c. 1805 Ukiyo-e bird's-eye view of Japan prepared by Kitao Masayoshi. It is the first artistic bird's-eye view of the Japanese archipelago, and influenced the work of Katsushika Hokusai and later Japanese bird's-eye-view artists.

A Closer Look

With Mt. Fuji in the center foreground and oriented towards the west, the view adopts a creative convex perspective on the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Mt. Fuji is not labeled, as viewers would be expected to recognize it. The names of Edo and Osaka are also relatively subdued, while other cities, domains, and districts (郡) are labeled more prominently, 'domains' with kanji but many cities and other features with kana. Only the southern portion of Hokkaido appears, labeled Ezo (蝦夷), at right. Coastal islands are also indicated, including Tsushima (対馬) at top, while Korea (朝鮮) is hinted at in the distance at top. Notably, Tsuyama Castle (center towards top-left), the residence of Kitao's employer, is depicted larger than Edo Castle (towards bottom-right). The work is given a dreamy flourish with the crescent moon at top.

Significance of the View

Although untitled, this view is generally known as 'Picture of the Famous Places of Japan' (Nihon Meisho no E / 日本名所の絵 ／ 日本名所之繪 or sometimes as 日本名所絵図). It represents a landmark in the history of Japanese visual culture, primarily because it is widely recognized as the first artistic bird's-eye view of the entire Japanese archipelago. While Japan had a long tradition of cartography, Kitao Masayoshi's work was fundamentally different and culturally significant, utilizing a three-dimensional perspective that allowed the viewer to see the nation as a singular, unified landscape rather than a collection of disjointed provinces. The view also served as a direct inspiration on Katsushika Hokusai, who later adapted this panoramic style for his own famous bird's-eye views. This specific tradition of panoramic mapping combining artistic and practical elements also laid the foundation for the 'tourism maps' of the early 20th century, most notably the works of Yoshida Hatsusaburō, whose iconic travel vistas became the standard for the Taisho and Showa eras.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by Kitao Masayoshi, signing here as Keisai Tsuguzane (蕙斎紹真), in c. 1804 or 1805. As mentioned above, although untitled, this work is generally known by the title 'Picture of the Famous Places of Japan.' Due to discrepancies in the title and date used for cataloging, as well as later iterations of the work (see, for example, our JapanBirdsEye-suharaya-1840), a true census is difficult to establish. That being said, the work is both rare (especially outside of Japan) and significant. We have been able to locate examples at the National Diet Library, Kyushu University, Hosei University, the National Museum of Japanese History, and the Fukuoka City Museum.

Cartographer

Kitao Masayoshi (北尾政美; 1764 - April 21, 1824), also known as Kuwagata Keisai (鍬形蕙斎), was a Ukiyo-e artist of the Edo era. He was born Akabane Sanjiro and raised in Nihonbashi in Edo (Tokyo). He became a disciple of the artist Kitao Shigemasa (1739 - 1820) and began illustrating books around age 13. Throughout his career, he excelled at Kibyōshi 'yellow cover' picture book drawings, producing relatively few Nishiki-e by comparison to other artists of the era. In 1794, Kitao Masayoshi became the official painter (御用絵師) of the Tsuyama Domain (津山藩) and took the name Kuwagata Keisai Tsuguzane (鍬形蕙斎紹真). At this point, he gave up Kibyōshi and focused on Ukiyo-e, studying with Kano Korenobu (1753 - 1808), the seventh generation of the hereditary position of court painter at the Tokugawa court in Edo. Around this time, he produced his two of his best known works, a panoramic bird's-eye view of Japan and a bird's-eye view of Edo, both being pathbreaking works in that genre in Japan. Later in life, Kitao Masayoshi took up kyōka poetry. His position of court painter to Tsuyama Domain was hereditary, but Kuwagata Keisai had no children and instead adopted another painter working for the daimyo of Tsuyama Domain, who took the name Kuwagata Sekichi (鍬形赤子; 1800 - 1855), whose own adopted son took the name Kuwagata Keirin (鍬形蕙林; 1827 - 1909) and inherited the role.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Some older verso repairs, including slight fill bottom of sheet.