1895 Kurashima Map of Taiwan, First Sino-Japanese War

A scarce 1895 map of Taiwan by Kurashima Izaemon. It was produced during Japan's military conquest and occupation of the island in the closing stage of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894 - 1895), which began a fifty-year period of colonization.

A Closer Look

The entirety of Taiwan's main island (Formosa) and several outlying islands are covered, with administrative centers, cities and towns, railways, mountains, rivers, ports, and military garrisons indicated. Small flags denote areas occupied by Japanese troops, which by the time of the map's publication, had reached Taichung (臺灣府). Japanese forces progressively marched down the island, battling resistance fighters aligned with the short-lived Republic of Taiwan. The southeastern half of the island, shaded green here, was the realm of aborigines, who were historically beyond the reach of the Qing.

An inset map of East Asia sits at top-left, while an inset at bottom-right focuses on the Penghu Islands (Pescadores) in the Taiwan Strait. In addition to a legend at bottom-left, two boxes list statistics on the island's administration, population, and distances between major cities. Two islands off the southern coast of Taiwan are named here as 'Little Ryukyu' (小琉球島), which were one of several competing names for the islands today known as Liuqiu (or Lambai or Lambay) and Green Island (Lüdao).

Japan's Growing Clout in East Asia

The background to Japan's occupation of Taiwan can be dated to the Meiji Restoration (1868). Recognizing that one of the common elements among all foreign powers was colonies, the Meiji leaders set their eyes on building both an informal and formal empire in East Asia. As a distant and often-ignored vassal state of the Qing, the Ryukyu Kingdom was an obvious place to begin imperial expansion. Taiwan was likewise an enticing option. Though a part of the Qing empire, the Japanese rightly determined that the Qing were not especially interested in the island. By the time the Qing court recognized the problems that foreign rule of Taiwan would cause, it was already too late.

Following the Opium Wars, and especially after the Japanese established a de facto protectorate over the Ryukyu Islands in 1872 and launched a military expedition to Taiwan in 1874, the Qing realized the vulnerabilities that would be created if Taiwan were captured by foreign powers (the French also tried to invade Taiwan in 1884). They established a more direct administration of the island, eventually elevating it to a province in 1887, and appointed a modernizer, Liu Mingchuan (劉銘傳), as governor. Liu oversaw the construction of schools, fortifications, and a railway, completed in 1893. As seen here, the railway connected Keelung (基隆), Taipei (臺北), and Siangshan (香山). It was planned to continue to Taiwan-fu (臺灣府 that is, Taichung) and Tainan, but was not completed before Liu had to leave Taiwan for health reasons.

Japan's Occupation of Taiwan

Japanese forces invaded Taiwan in May 1895, after it was ceded to them by Treaty of Shimonoseki (April 17, 1895) at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894 - 1895). The occupation of Taiwan fit into Imperial Japan's Nanshin-ron (南進論) or Southern Expansion Doctrine, which argued that Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines were essential to Japan's economic survival and territorial growth. Katsura Taro (1847 - 1913), a Yamaguchi Samurai, wrote of Taiwan's significance, 'It is not only the most ideal location for expanding power to southern China, but also the islands in Southeast Asia.'

Although there were some indigenous attempts at resistance and self-governance, including the founding of the 'Republic of Formosa,' arguably Asia's first republic, the Japanese were quickly able to suppress organized opposition, though guerilla warfare would continue for several years. In less than six months, Japanese forces achieved, with the arguable exception of the tribal central highlands, full control of the island. Taiwan was Japan's first major extraterritorial holding, and Imperial Japan worked diligently to transform it into a showpiece 'model colony,' lavishing resources on the island's economy, including public works and industrial development, while also pursuing cultural Japanization.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared and edited by Kurashima Izaemon (倉島伊左エ門) and printed by Nakayama Zenzaburō (中山善三郎), while Kyokukidō (旭輝堂) is also listed on the cover as a publisher. It was published in Tokyo in September 1895 (Meiji 28). The map is not known to exist in the holdings of any institution and is very scarce to the market.