This map, created by cartographer Shūichi Miyake in 1876, was one of the maps used in Japanese schools during the Meiji era to study the geography of territories beyond Japan.

The author depicted Asia, with its coasts, lakes and rivers outlined in black. The use of colours to represent the main regions of the continent is particularly striking:

• Japan, in red.
• China, in orange.
• Siberia, in grey.
• Mongolia, in green.
• Indochina, in purple.
• Cochinchina, in green.
• Siam, in grey.
• India, in red.
• Nepal, in yellow.
• Turkestan, in purple.
• Persia, in green.
• Arabia, in orange.
• Ottoman Empire, in red.

The map also shows major cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, Mumbai, Muscat and Tehran, represented by circles and suns.

You can read more about maps, education, and propaganda in Japan at this article in the newsletter.

Sources

• Topographical Record of the Nations / Asia