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An Early Manuscript Version of the Ricci Map Makes its way Through Japan via Nagasaki.
This unique 18th-century Japanese manuscript world map, titled Zhōnghuá Wànguó Tú (Map of the Myriad Nations of China), was created by the scribe Enkai in late April or the latter part of early summer in the third year of the Kanpō era (1743). The colophon reveals that the map was copied from Nagasaki and is dedicated to or associated with Jintsu Takkei Toshiyuki. Enkai's work is based on Harame Sadakiyo's 1720 rendition (Yochi zu) of Matteo Ricci's influential 1602 world map, which introduced Western cartographic traditions to East Asia through Chinese intermediaries. The map demonstrates a fascinating blend of traditional Japanese manuscript artistry with Western geographical knowledge, showcasing Japan's engagement with global ideas while adapting them to its own cultural framework.
The Ricci World Map of 1602, also known as the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (坤輿萬國全圖), was a landmark in the history of cartography and cultural exchange. Created in 1602 by the Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci in collaboration with Chinese scholars, that map represents the first significant integration of European geographical knowledge with Chinese cartographic traditions. Ricci, who spent years in China and became fluent in Chinese, designed the map at the request of Emperor Wanli during the Ming Dynasty. It was intended to introduce Chinese audiences to the European worldview and contemporary geographic discoveries.
Enkai’s 1743 map, while not a direct copy of the Ricci, follows an important intermediary map, Harame Sadakiyo's 1720 Yochi zu (輿地圖). Toshikazu Kaida, in his World Maps Published in Tokugawa Japan, explains the relationship:
The Kunyu Wanguo Quantu by Matteo Ricci (whose Chinese name was Li Madou [利瑪竇]) was first published in 1602. In Japan, this oval world map was popularized before double-hemisphere maps, probably because of the approachability of oval-shaped maps. More than a hundred years later in the eighteenth century (late Edo period), several large oval world maps related to the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu were compiled. Among them, Harame Sadakiyo's Yochizu [Map of the World] (III-1), published in 1720, was an important first map of this kind. However, very few copies of this map still exist (note 1). Harame map is considered to be the original map that served as the basis for both the Chikyū Ichiran Zu [Map of the Terrestrial Sphere/World in a Single Viewing] (III-3) and Nagakubo Sekisui's Chikyū Bankoku Sankai Yochi Zenzusetsu [Complete Map and Explanation of the Myriad Countries as well as Mountains and Seas of the World] (III-4), both of which were published some sixty years later than Harame map.
Enkai's map provides a rare illustration of the method of dissemination for Harame's cartography in Japan prior to the advent of the prolific printed copies later in the 18th century. We can be confident in the map being a copy of Harame's because of several copiest errors present: for example, the Gulf of California, on the Harame map labeled as the East Red Sea (東紅海), was originally rendered as land but has been corrected to water, likely due to confusion during the copying process. Place names generally adhere to Harame Sadakiyo's transcription, though some names are omitted, and errors appear, particularly in North America.
The map’s provenance in Nagasaki highlights the city’s unique role as the exclusive port for foreign trade and cultural exchange during Japan's sakoku (closed country) policy of the Edo period. As the sole point of contact with the outside world, primarily through Dutch and Chinese merchants, Nagasaki became a conduit for the transmission of not only physical goods but also knowledge, including scientific and cartographic advancements. The introduction of Western maps, astronomical tools, and scholarly texts into Japan often occurred through this port, with Nagasaki’s merchants and scholars acting as intermediaries. Enkai’s work, originating in this intellectual and commercial hub, reflects the selective assimilation of foreign knowledge characteristic of this era.
The mode of world representation seen in Enkai’s map evolved significantly over the next few decades, culminating in the influential Kaisei Chikyu Bankoku Sankai Yochi Zenzu Setsu (Revised Complete Map of the World and Its Lands and Seas), created by Sekisui Nagakubo in 1785. This map became the standard for Japanese cartography into the 19th century, symbolizing Japan’s gradual modernization and its nuanced approach to assimilating global knowledge within its cultural framework.
Enkai’s map offers a fascinating lens through which to explore Japan’s engagement with the global intellectual currents of the early modern period, highlighting how geographic understanding was shaped and reshaped in the context of a highly controlled exchange of ideas.
Colophon
寛保三癸亥年初夏下旬写之 筆者圓海/従長崎到来 神通達慧俊之
Copied in late April [or latter part of early summer?], in the third year of the Kanpō era (1743), by the scribe Enkai. Arrived from Nagasaki. Dedicated to (or associated with) Jintsu Takkei Toshiyuki.
We extend our sincere thanks to Toshikazu Kaida for his assistance in researching this map.
