Japanese Historical Maps (website)
Encyclopedia
Japanese Historical Maps is a website that allows users to view a collection of approximately 850 early Japan
ese maps of both Japan and the world. The site is a collaborative effort between David Rumsey of Cartography Associates and the East Asian Library of the University of California, Berkeley
. The maps on the website are selected from the 2,300 maps in the collection of the East Asian Library.
period through the early Meiji period
. The collection has several unique collections, among them approximately 697 woodblock
-print maps from the Tokugawa shogunate. In the selection of maps available on the website, the earliest image is from 1600, and the latest image is from 1970.
The selection of maps available on the website were digitized utilizing PhaseOne digital scanning cameras, and scanned at a minimum of 300 pixels per inch. Because of the high scanning resolution, the average image size is approximately 200 megabytes on full scan. The images are then resized so that they may be manipulated easily.
Client, which does require the one-time installation of the client, and the GIS Browser, which utilizes a Java applet
created by Telemorphic, Inc.
The Insight Browser and the Insight Java Client are two similar programs, allowing the user to view and manipulate maps, as well as arrange maps into groups; however, the Java Client allows the user to save those groups into a personal collection, which can be utilized for future viewing or even public presentation. From the Java Client, it is also possible to export a group of images to HTML
or Powerpoint
.
The GIS Browser allows the user to overlay various historical maps selected from the selection available on the website. The user can manipulate thirteen historical maps of Tokyo, ten historical maps of Osaka and six historical maps of Kyoto. This allows the user to study the chronological sequence of the maps and observe changes in the geography of the area, as well as changes in the methodology of map making.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese maps of both Japan and the world. The site is a collaborative effort between David Rumsey of Cartography Associates and the East Asian Library of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. The maps on the website are selected from the 2,300 maps in the collection of the East Asian Library.
About the Collection
The collection of maps in the website is a selection from the map collection of the East Asian Library of University of California at Berkeley. The university came into possession of these maps when it purchased the Mitsui Library from the Mitsui family in 1949. The library contained a collection of 2,298 maps assembled by Mitsui Takakata. The majority of maps in this collection date from the EdoEdo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
period through the early Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
. The collection has several unique collections, among them approximately 697 woodblock
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
-print maps from the Tokugawa shogunate. In the selection of maps available on the website, the earliest image is from 1600, and the latest image is from 1970.
The selection of maps available on the website were digitized utilizing PhaseOne digital scanning cameras, and scanned at a minimum of 300 pixels per inch. Because of the high scanning resolution, the average image size is approximately 200 megabytes on full scan. The images are then resized so that they may be manipulated easily.
Accessing the Collection
Accessing the collection is possible by using the Insight browser software, a proprietary program created by Luna Imaging, Inc. The website offers three different options for accessing the collection: the Insight Browser, which does not require any software installation, the Insight JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
Client, which does require the one-time installation of the client, and the GIS Browser, which utilizes a Java applet
Java applet
A Java applet is an applet delivered to users in the form of Java bytecode. Java applets can run in a Web browser using a Java Virtual Machine , or in Sun's AppletViewer, a stand-alone tool for testing applets...
created by Telemorphic, Inc.
The Insight Browser and the Insight Java Client are two similar programs, allowing the user to view and manipulate maps, as well as arrange maps into groups; however, the Java Client allows the user to save those groups into a personal collection, which can be utilized for future viewing or even public presentation. From the Java Client, it is also possible to export a group of images to HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
or Powerpoint
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint, usually just called PowerPoint, is a non-free commercial presentation program developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X operating system...
.
The GIS Browser allows the user to overlay various historical maps selected from the selection available on the website. The user can manipulate thirteen historical maps of Tokyo, ten historical maps of Osaka and six historical maps of Kyoto. This allows the user to study the chronological sequence of the maps and observe changes in the geography of the area, as well as changes in the methodology of map making.