Cartographic Japan

Book excerpt: This “deeply rewarding compilation of maps” offers a gorgeously illustrated tour through the evolution of Japan from the Edo Period to the Digital Age (Los Angeles Review of Books). Japanese society underwent a cartographic renaissance in the late sixteenth century that would eventually turn maps and mapmaking into a central part of daily life. Since that time, the nation’s society and landscape have undergone major transformations, and at every point, copious maps documented those monumental changes. Cartographic Japan offers a rich introduction to the resulting treasure trove, with close analysis of one hundred maps from the late 1500s to the present day, each one treated as a distinctive window onto Japan’s tumultuous history. Forty-seven distinguished contributors—hailing from Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia—uncover the meanings behind a key selection of these maps, situating them in historical context and explaining how they were made, read, and used at the time. With more than one hundred full-color illustrations, Cartographic Japan offers an enlightening tour of Japan’s magnificent cartographic archive.