Overview of maps and a number of pictures

Here you will find an overview of the maps used on this site.
Click on the thumbnail. It takes some time before some of these maps are loaded so be patient please, hit the back button the return to this page click on the thumbnails to see the map or picture Most of these maps have been edited and completed with a signature for copyright reasons. In this place I want to thank the department of Cartography of the University of Utrecht, especially Peter van der Krogt, their great reception and the help in making images made with an electronic camera. Without their help these pages wouldn't exist!

After la Perrouse went to chart the sea to the north of Japan, he called it the Japanese Sea or some such - that was in 1786 or 1787.  His journal was quite popular, so the name might have been picked up by the rest of Europe. For more 17th century maps and engravings, follow the link at the bottom of the page

Be patient, it takes some time to download this map. According to the preface, this Korean map (known as the Kangnido) was made by Yi Hoe and Kwon Kun in 1402. This copy from ca. 1470 is the oldest surviving world map from East Asia. The map has clear outlines of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, with India coming out of the general Chinese continent. On the far right is the greatly magnified Korean peninsula with the Japanese islands directly below. The west of Japan is oriented west at the top. Kangnido Honil Kangni Yokdae Kukdo Chido (Map of the integrated lands and regions of historical countries and capitals

Iaponiae insulae descriptio / Ludoico Teisera auctore. Scale [ca. 1:4.750.000]. [Antwerp : Plantijn, 1595]. 1 map : copperengraving ; 32 x 45 cm, Cum Imperatorio, Regio, et Brabantiae privilegio decennali. 1595. Verso: French text from: Théâtre de l'Univers 1598. Van den Broecke, Ortelius atlas maps 165.1; Karrow, Mapmakers sixteenth century 1/198; Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici Ort 28 [134], Meurer, Fontes 134. It took a long time before the region was "decently" mapped, both position and shape. Since the middle-ages Japan was depicted as Chipangu or Zipangu. The Portuguese reached Japan in 1542. Till in 1641 all foreigners, except the Dutch, had to leave the country missionaries offered the most cartographic information about the country. The data from the Jesuits was accordingly revised by the official Portuguese cartographs, like Fernao Vaz Dourado. He gave Japan the shape of the back of a tortoise, like it was depicted already in the second half of the sixteenth century. Thanks to the close contacts between Ortelius with Luis Teixeira, the most modern map in 1595 was added to the Theatrum, the orientation of the island Honsyu is not optimal yet, but the shape, now probably derived form autochthonous examples, has made a considerable improvement. Korea is already mentioned, be it as an island. The changes went that fast that in the same period several anachronisms co-existed. On the small worldmaps and the maps of Asia the 16th shape is still to be seem while Jan Huygen van Linschoten in his Itinerario from 1595 the traditional shape of Vaz Dourado shows.

Maker Ortelius Title Iaponia Insulae Descriptio Influential map of Japan, based on the work of the Jesuit Ludovico Teixeira. The map is the first reasonably accurate and recognizable European depiction of Japan and was to remain the standard for more than half a century. Little was known of this mythical and remote island. Korea is shown as an island and even less was known about it. Three decorative ships and two cartouches.

This map of Japan (1606) by Dutch cartographer Jodocus Hondius predates the establishment of the Dutch and English factories in Kyushu and is thus based on Portuguese sources. The forms of the three large islands (Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku) are discernible, but it would be some time before the questions surrounding the northern island of Hokkaido were resolved. Here Korea is shown as an island, really different then it's original shape, these three maps, are remarkably alike

L'ASIA 1677 copper engraving with later color

IL REGNO DELLA CHINA 1682   copper engraving with later color
 

Pieter Schenk and Gerald Valck
NOVA ET ACCVRATA IAPONIAE TERRAE ESONIS  c.1700 
copper engraving with original color
 

This map (1713) by Pieter van der Aa shows the long and circuitous voyage of the first English expedition to Japan a century earlier. Van der Aa was part of the Dutch colonial establishment in Java and produced an atlas of remarkable European voyages of discovery; this map is from that atlas.

Spectacular carte-a-figures map of China, with 4 views across top and 8 costumed figures. Shows Great Wall, Japan, Korea as an Island, etc. Shows cities, rivers, lakes, mountains, topographic detail, etc. 2 cartouches, sailing ships and sea monsters. Here Korea is also shown as an island, must be made around the same time as the map of Jodocus Hondius at least before Hamel wrote his Journael.

Quelpaert as described by the French expedition of la Perrouse in 1787. It's one of the first Western maps of the island

An 18th century Korean map of Cheju -do and a new explanation where the ship was wrecked.
 

Here you can see that Tayoan is Tainan
 

Here you can see the location of Fort Zeelandia in Tainan
 

This is Taiwan in 1860, with the location of the ruins of the Dutch fort Zeelandia
 

This is a view at fort Zeelandia in Tainan, Taiwan:
 

17 th Century painting of Fort Zeelandia

Chinese rendering of Fort Zeelandia

West Africa, the map speaks for itself, it's rather big, the relevance here is that the Dutch harboured here, in order to take food.

This is another French map of Korea, undated, but considering the names, might be made shortly after the expedition of de la Perouse had published his maps.

A pretty modern map of Korea and Japan before 1880 

A map of Asia of 1808

A map of Asia of 1859

Deshima , an artificial island near Nagasaki, the place where the Dutch were allowed to live and do trade with Japan. Hamel eventually escaped from Korea to this island and here he wrote his Journael, there is another one for the Chinese enclave, these were in the books written by Isaac Titsingh, Embassador to China and Opperhooft in Deshima.

Example of a hand-drawn chart like they were used in the 17th century on board of the VOC-ships.

The route of the crew of the Sperwer can be seen here. This beautiful semi-old map is made by Jan Boonstra

Modern map of Korea with the route Hamel took on mainland Korea to Seoul and back

Songnam, another name for Pyongyong where Hamel and his men lived for 8 years, probably married and had families.

1. Location of the Hamel monument. 2. Kapado (according McCune Reisschauer: Kap'ado). 3. Marado 4. Taejong To give an idea of the distances: the distance from Kapado to the coast of Cheju is about 4 km. (Taejong - Hamel monument = 6.5 km). Since new evidence showed up, the map is in fact obsolete, but a new map and explanation are added to the 17th century map of Cheju-do.

This is the province of Cholla -do

Korea in the time of the three kingdoms.

Korea in the time of Shilla and Parhae.

Korea in the time of Koryo, from this name the name Korea is derived.

Korea nowadays.
 
 
 
 

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