桃山時代の四世界図〓風について

抄録

Among the world-map screens drawn in the early years of Japan, the writer of the paper is to mention the four world-map screens of the Momoyama era, named after their owners as follows: Yamamoto-Zu (Zu means map), Jotokuji-Zu, Kobayashi-Zu and Kawamura-Zu. From the fact that all these maps take the central circles of longitude in the Atlantic Ocean by oval Projection of Bordone, it is recognized that they were all drawn after the model of one world-map made in Europe. Among them, Yamamoto-Zu is comparatively faithful to the original in copying, while the other three are more pictorial.
In these maps, the connection is noticed between the north-eastern part of Asia and the north-western part of America. This indicates that the original belongs to the old type of world-map in the 16th century. In these world-map screens, however, the location of the continent was somewhat changed in order to draw the right form of Japan; and consequently especiallv in the three maps of Jotokuji group, a blank space turned up in the western extremity and the connection between Asia and America became unclear. Terra Australis Incognita is also pictured in these maps. While yamamoto-Zu shows its entire shape, the three maps of Jotokuji group show only its projecting part from the needs of their pictorial element. The figure. however, indicates the knowledge before the discovery of Australia and New Zealand in the early half of the 17th century.
Further, a steamer lane is drawn in these maps between Europe and Japan, and it is the Oriental line of Spain and Portugal. This suggests that the original map was brought in from the direction of Spain and portugal. It is worthy of note that many names of places originated in European names are written in the Japanes sylabary (kana) on the top of the figure, and that this preceded the Chinese translation by Matheo Ricci of the local names of the world.
As to the time these maps were drawn, a red seal of artist Eitoku Kano (1543-1590) is found on the Jotokuji-Zu; though some peopel have doubts about that. However, considering the contents of the map of Japan which forms a counterpart to these four world-map screens, it can be concluded that having produced in the second half of the 16th century, the latter is the oldest among the existing world-maps in Japan.