1840-50 Kyōto narabi ni Fushimi ku meisaizu (Map of Kyoto and the Fushimi District)
DESCRIPTION
This colorful woodblock map presents a detailed view of Kyoto, the historic imperial capital of Japan. Published in Edo (present-day Tokyo) by Mikawaya Tetsugorō we are presented the city in a lively and highly organized manner. Issued as a treveler's map, the dense grid of streets fills the center, while temples, shrines, official compounds, and residential districts appear in bright blocks of hand color. Careful labeling identifies numerous sites across the city, giving the map both practical value as a guide and strong visual appeal.
Kyoto had served as the seat of the Japanese emperor since the late eighth century and remained the cultural and ceremonial heart of the country throughout the Edo period. Although political authority rested with the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo, Kyoto continued to house the imperial court, major Buddhist temples, and important Shinto shrines. By the nineteenth century the city was also a center of pilgrimage, scholarship, and craft production. Maps like this were produced for travelers and residents alike, helping visitors locate famous temples, scenic districts, and important neighborhoods within the imperial city.
A Distinctive Style of Japanese Urban Mapping
The design also illustrates a distinctive feature of traditional Japanese urban cartography. Instead of following a fixed directional orientation, the surrounding landscape is arranged so the city appears to sit at the center of a broad basin. Mountains, forests, and scenic sites ring the outer edges of the sheet. At the top, trees and mountain ranges are drawn upside down, while along the left and right sides they appear turned on their sides. This approach allows the terrain to unfold around the city, as if the viewer were standing within Kyoto and looking outward toward the mountains that encircle it.
This method places the city at the visual and symbolic center while still showing the natural setting that defines Kyoto’s geography. Rivers flowing through the basin, roads leading to surrounding districts, and clusters of temples and shrines help situate the viewer within the wider landscape. The bright hand coloring and abundance of labeled locations create a lively portrait of Kyoto during the final decades of the Edo period.
CONDITION
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