1911 Kusuyama Map of the United States of America

A colorful Japanese-language map of the United States, published in 1911 in the magazine New Japan, edited by Kusuyama Masao. This was a period when the U.S. and Japan were emerging as rival powers in the Pacific, in the wake of the Spanish-American and Russo-Japanese Wars.

A Closer Look

The Continental United States (including Cuba) occupies the main map, with color shading giving a sense of terrain. Major rivers, lakes, and mountains are illustrated. Although not indicated in a legend, the prominent red lines running across the continent represent railroads. Red overprint explains the major commodities produced in various parts of the country, such as wool (羊毛) in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and timer and fruit (木材及果實) on the Pacific Coast. Insets of the U.S. territories of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Philippines appear at bottom, while an inset at bottom-left centers the U.S. in a Mercator Projection with shipping routes tracked across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Japan-U.S. Relations in the Early 20th Century

Japan-U.S. relations were quite complicated in the late 19th and early 20th century, as the two countries were clearly the rising powers in the Pacific. Although economic relations improved, they also competed in several areas, including in China, where Japanese commercial interests were rapidly increasing. The Japanese government was also continually irked by discrimination against Japanese-Americans and Japanese in Hawaii. Some stability was provided by the Taft-Katsura Agreement, crafted on the sidelines of the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Portsmouth (1905) that ended the Russo-Japanese War, which effectively promised Japan preponderant influence in Korea (where American missionaries and businesses operated) and the U.S. similar control over the Philippines (where there were growing numbers of Japanese migrants). It would be tempting to see this map in the context of potential enmity between the two countries, but New Japan was unusually cosmopolitan in its outlook, suggesting more benign motives.

Publication History and Census

This map appeared as a supplement to the October 1911 (Meiji 44) issue of New Japan (新日本), a special issue dedicated to the U.S. Kusuyama Masao (楠山正雄) is listed as the editor and publisher. It is only independently cataloged among the holdings of Waseda University (Kusuyama's alma mater).