Map of Yokohama.

Beschreibung

Very good. Light wear along original folds. Size 13.5 x 19.75 Inches. A scarce, colorful bilingual 1878 map of Yokohama, Japan edited by Yamamura Seisuke and published by Inoue Mohei. It depicts the city nearly twenty years after its opening as Japan's main outlet for trade and interaction with the outside world, and demonstrates how internationalized it had become in that short period. A Closer Look Oriented towards southwest, the map is interspersed with Romanized Japanese placenames (such as the bridges, as 'hashi' or 'bashi') and English words ('Grand stand,' 'Station railway train'). The foreign words, often with individual letters written backwards, were likely copied from a Western map of the city and transposed rather imperfectly ('Race gourse,' 'Pobuc Garoen'); some are so garbled they are indecipherable. Space limitations also prevented more complete translation or transliteration, as with the building simply labelled 'British' at left (a hospital or infirmary ???). The foreign-inhabited portion of the city is shaded yellow, with addresses of each building recorded in the Western fashion (building number and street name), while the Japanese portion of the city is shaded pink and allows for the location of buildings using the Japanese system of neighborhoods (?) and city blocks (??). Buildings belonging to the government or military, as well as those with a public function, such as parks, schools, and temples, are shaded red. These include early industrial efforts, such as an iron works (???) and a factory producing beacons (??????), hinting at Yokohama's later economic development. Immediately adjacent to the docks at center is a customs office (??). The train station, prominent at right, is notable as the first railway line linking Tokyo and Yokohama had only begun operations in 1872, marking the start of Japan's long association with rail travel. At top-left is an inset map of Negishi (???), a suburban area beyond the scope of the map notable for containing a Western-style racetrack. At bottom-left, the national and maritime flags of Japan and the foreign nations who operated trading posts at Yokohama are represented. Above the flags is a table, shaded yellow, of the neighborhoods (?), and blocks (?) of Yokohama, officially known as the 'Large No. 1 Ward of Kanagawa Prefecture' (????????). To the right of this list is an interesting, pink-shaded circular graphic constituting a table of distances from Yokohama to other cities in eastern Japan. At bottom, below illustrations of a group of foreign ships in Yokohama's harbor, is a legend and two tables of maritime distances. Yokohama Japan's Gateway to the Outside World Although Japan had reluctantly signed a 'Treaty of Peace and Amity' with the United States in 1854, allowing for greater foreign presence and influence in Japan, the terms were quite vague until a subsequent treaty, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce (also known as the Harris Treaty), was signed in 1858, opening Japanese ports to foreign trade. Other foreign powers piled into Japan to sign similar treaties stipulating rights for their nationals to trade and reside in certain Japanese ports. The most important of these 'treaty ports' were Nagasaki and Yokohama, the former having been a major port for centuries, the latter much less so. The foreign powers demanded a port near Tokyo, understanding that the capital itself was not an option. Yokohama was primarily chosen because the most obvious choice, Kanagawa-juku, a nearby coastal station on the T?kaid?, was opposed by the Shogun. Much like Shanghai in China, Yokohama grew rapidly and became the main conduit for the exchange of people, goods, and ideas between Japan and the outside world. Aside from Western traders, Chinese merchants and workers also resided in Yokohama in large numbers, establishing an important Chinese community there, still the largest Chinatown in Japan. Woodblock artists rushed to depict the new visitors, who were regarded with bot.

Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers Yokohama-inouemohei-1878

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Bibliografische Details

Titel

Map of Yokohama.

Erscheinungsjahr

1878

Signiert

Signatur des Verfassers

Verkäuferkataloge

• JAPAN-CHINA-KOREA