Japan--Ishikawa Ryûsen, 石川流宣, (active 1686-1715)

LARGE HAND-COLOURED FOLDING WOODCUT MAP (810 x 1690mm.) on mulberry paper (900 x 1690mm.), second edition, third issue, preserved in a modern slipcase, minor repairs

Yonemoto Marcia, Mapping Early Modern Japan: Space,Place and Culture in the Tokugawa Period, 1603-1868, (University of California Press, 2003), pp.13-43.
Berry, Mary Elisabeth, Japan in Print: Information and Nation in the Early Modern Period, (University of California Press, 2006), pp.98-100.
Kobe City Museum, Japan. Exhibition Catalogue, (2003), pp.32-33.
Lutz, W. (ed.), Japan, A Cartographic Vision. European Printed Maps from the Early 16th to the 19th Century, (Munich and New York, 1994), pp.64-67 and pp.195-196.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A FINE COPY OF THE SECOND AND BEST EDITION OF THIS MAP, EXTENSIVELY CORRECTED AND ENLARGED. As the first edition of the map (1687) was criticised for its geographical inaccuracy, Ishikawa extensively revised and produced a version almost double the size of the first edition. This map was reprinted throughout the 18th century and became the standard reference map of Japan. Chinese and Korean boats as well as small Japanese fishing boats decorate the map.

This important map contains a large amount of geographical information that far exceeds that of any previously published map of Japan, for example the 53 stations of the famous Tôkaidô (東海道, the Eastern Sea Route) are shown with a great precision. This, along with the beautiful hand-colouring adopted by the ukiyo-e artist was one of the reasons why this maps became a best-seller in Japan.

The legends included in the map show that by using one large square, one small square and one circle, the artist-cartographer made a distinction between large and small castles and the so-called “yashiki” palaces (屋敷). The map indicates the names of feudal lords of each castle and the income in rice of each fief. Shipping routes are drawn in the sea, linking ports, together with distances. A table on the top left lists the names and gives the distance of the various cities in China and South-East Asia from Nagasaki to as far afield as Holland.