Background Information

http://gallery.lib.umn.edu/archive/original/f9282f230ab3ae2fdca496f4a6547651.jpg

Dutch ship atop wind gust from [Manuscript map of Nagasaki, its harbor and surrounding region]. ca. 1741-65.

Though the map is listed in the Bell’s archival system as having been created between 1741 and 1763, there is no dating done anywhere explicitly on the map, leaving more precise information about its provenance difficult to find. What is less ambiguous, however, is the relevance of this Nagasaki map as both a historical document and a cartographic specimen. This section, as a result, will explore the reasons why this map is so important to our understanding of Japanese history and map-making before later sections delve into more specific details of the piece.

Background Information