1930 Okuda Pictorial Map of Heijō (Pyongyang), Korea

A scarce c. 1930 Heijō Okuda pictorial map of Heijō (Pyongyang), in modern day North Korea, published during the Japanese colonial period. The map and the verso text provide detailed information on the city, reflecting its growth and industrialization during the colonial era. It is likely that this map was not intended for tourists but rather as a lure to would-be Japanese colonial migrants and investors.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the northeast, with the Taedong River running down the center, this map presents Heijō (Pyongyang) during the Japanese colonial period. Factories, warehouses, railways, and other industrial facilities are illustrated throughout; several belong to the Imperial Japanese Army. Schools, hospitals and clinics, marketplaces, a customs station, roads, a streetcar line, an exhibition hall, monuments to fallen Japanese soldiers (忠魂碑, most of whom likely died in the 1894 Battle of Pyongyang), a large Shinto shrine (神社), prisons and police stations (including one belonging to the Kemipeitai (憲兵隊)), and other locations are identified. In the foreground is the island Yanggakdo (羊角島), which today houses an eponymous hotel commonly reserved for foreigners visiting North Korea's capital. An airfield stands out prominently at top-right. Several structures belonging to Korea's historical dynasties, including palaces and city gates, are also labeled.

Verso Content

The verso provides a concise guide to the city, discussing its geographic location, demographics, transportation, education system, economy, and famous sites. Some of the information is remarkably precise, such as tables noting annual government expenditures on various services. Together, these sections make for an effective 'pitch' for Heijō.

The Legacy of Japanese Colonialism

The city seen here was heavily damaged during the Korean War (1950 - 1953), not least because of sustained and extensive American bombing, which demolished some three-quarters of the buildings in Pyongyang. Nevertheless, the development during the Japanese period gave Pyongyang the contours it retains today. For example, Pyongyang Station, in the foreground at left, was initially completed in 1906 as a wooden structure, rebuilt with stone in the 1920s, destroyed during the Korean War, and rebuilt in Soviet style in the 1950s. The bridge across the Taedong near the central part of the city, known as the Taedong River Bridge, was completed in 1905 by the Japanese; it was destroyed in the Korean War but rebuilt at the same location, where it still stands today.

Publication History and Census

This map was printed by Heijō Okuda Co. Ltd. (平壤奧田洋行) in Heijō. It is undated, but based on the population given (100,896) and other details, it most likely dates from the 1920s and almost certainly no later than 1930. We are unable to locate any other examples of this map in institutional collections or on the market. Several institutions in Japan hold guides to Heijō from the era, but it is unclear if this map may have been a part of one of them or is entirely unrelated.