Tsushima Island - Rare Edo Manuscript Collection.

[KOREAN EMBASSIES TO JAPAN - TSUSHIMA].

Edité par [Edo] circa 1682-1855., Japan., 1682

A collection of six Japanese manuscripts: 1. Detailed strategic manuscript map of Tsushima Island [n.d. but before 1811], 15.2 x 155 cms, with a red-inked perimeter and radiating lines with descriptive text marking distances, 8 shaded regions boundaried in black, key towns and industries noted and shrines marked in red, mountains shown in green, descriptive text in 7 inset boxes, age-toning but in very good condition; 2. Manuscript plan of the Kaihinkan [n.d. but before 1811], 77 x 94.5 cms, descriptive text, added text on an overlaid strip, ocean shaded in blue, spotted and age-toned with occasional worming, but in good condition; 3. Two manuscript receipts [1634, 1717] together with a manuscript enclosure, 46.3 x 65 cms, old folds, very good condition; 4. Large manuscript scroll on thick paper [1855] 46.7 x 185 cms, central join, 18 columns of text, slight age-toning and small abrasion on the verso, but in very good condition; 5. Painted scroll [Edo, possibly late 18th Century], 54.3 x 134 cms small thumbnail sized loss to the bottom pink border, not affecting the main image panel, some paint abrasion and edge-wear, spot of worming but overall in very good, bright condition. An exceedingly rare collection relating to the Japanese island of Tsushima in the Edo Period: the domain that played a crucial intermediary role between Japan and Korea. The collection includes a very detailed and historically highly significant map of the island of Tsushima: the Tsushima Domain was the only part of Japan allowed to conduct direct trade with Korea during the Edo period of seclusion, and it maintained a trading and diplomatic post ? the Wakan [Korean: Waegwan] ? in the Korean port of Pusan. The 12 diplomatic missions which travelled from Korea to Japan in the period from 1607 to 1811 passed through Tsushima on their journeys. These missions were grand events involving processions of hundreds of people, and they provided significant opportunities for cultural contact between Japan and Korea. In 1682, for example, a contingent of 475 envoys travelled from Korea to the Tsushima port of Sasuna, arriving there on 18 June. A week later they reached Tsushima Domain's capital Fuch? (now known as Izuhara), where they stayed for ten days before leaving for the Japanese island of Iki, between Tsushima and Kyushu, and then going onto the main islands of Japan. The map indicates the distance by sea from the Wakan/Waegwan to the two key ports on the northwest side of Tsushima Island, Sasuna and Waniura, and the sea routes from Tsushima to the port of Katsumoto on the island on Iki. A text inset also notes a route travelled by the Korean envoys from Sasuna to Fuch?, with distances between the key landmarks on the way. Waniura was the point of arrival for Korean missions in the early to mid-17th century, but Sasuna became the regular port of arrival from 1682, making it likely that this map was produced between 1682 and 1811. The map includes the ?funakoshi-Seto canal built in 1671, connecting the As? Bay to the western side of the island. Other text panels around the map give a detailed listing of districts and villages on the island, with their land area. A separate, highly detailed ink drawing shows a plan of the Kaihinkan, a guesthouse for envoys to Tsushima. The plan indicates the point where ships arrived, with a flight of steps going up from the port, and a substantial set of quarters for the chief and deputy envoys and others, including warehouses, bathing and kitchen areas. The plan also marks the location where a line of ceremonial spears with flags was erected, possibly as part of a welcoming ceremony. The collection also includes two documents, dated 1634 (Kan'ei 11) and 1717 (Ky?h? 2). These refer to financial transactions of Tsushima Domain and Yabu-Gun - a region which is now part of Saga Prefecture in Kyushu. At that time Yabu-gun was part of an area known as Tashiro, which also belonged to the Lords of Tsushima. The 1717 document records. N° de réf. du vendeur 217182

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Tsushima Island - Rare Edo Manuscript ...
Éditeur : [Edo] circa 1682-1855., Japan.
Date d'édition : 1682