Fan-Shaped Educational Maps: World Geography and Panoramic Map of Kyoto, 1873.

Fan-Shaped Educational Maps: World Geography and Panoramic Map of Kyoto
(扇面図 地理教育図と京都市街図, Senmenzu chiri kyōiku-zu to Kyōto shigaizu)

Date: August 1873 (Meiji 6).

Media: Woodblock prints on paper, fan-shaped format (扇面図, senmenzu) intended for folding fans (ōgi, 扇)
Black ink on thin paper; unmounted; each design composed in radial format with text or imagery in concentric arcs

Place of Publication: Yamaguchi City, Honmachi, Shimo-Konya-chō 1-chōme

Publisher/Editor: Ōhashi Yahei (大橋弥兵衛), listed as 編輯者 (editor)

1. Quick Reference Map of the Earth’s Continents and Country Names
(地球大洲国名早見之図, Chikyū taishū kokumei hayami no zu)

Educational reference fan print featuring:

• Double-hemisphere world map (Eastern and Western Hemispheres)

• Radiating text listing country names by continent

• Simplified map of Japan at upper right (Dai Nipponkoku ryaku no zu, 大日本国略之図)

• Additional blocks with astronomical, calendrical, and cosmological data

• List of feudal domains (藩), showing use of pre-abolition han system

• Dimensions: 155 x 470 mm

2. Panoramic Map of Kyoto
(京都名所市街図, Kyōto meisho shigaizu)

Bird’s-eye depiction of central and western Kyoto, centered on the Kamo River (賀茂川). Features include:

• Notable locations: Imperial Palace, Gion, Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama, Sanjo Bridge

• Top register: framed meisho (名所) scenic panels of famous landmarks

• Bottom arc: textual directory of neighborhoods and sites

• Dimensions: 160 x 515 mm

3. Panoramic Map of Kyoto
(京都名所市街図, Kyōto meisho shigaizu)

Continuation of the Kyoto map, covering eastern and southern districts. Key features:

• Landmarks: Fushimi Inari, Tofuku-ji, Mount Hiei, Uji, Shugakuin

• Decorative vertical cartouche at upper right

• Publisher’s imprint in lower margin confirms publication in August 1873 by Ōhashi Yahei in Yamaguchi City

• Dimensions: 150 x 505 mm

Interpretation:

This set of three coordinated senmenzu combines global perspective with local cartographic pride, reflecting both rangaku-inspired educational reform and traditional urban geography. The consistency in layout, paper, block style, and publishing data supports the conclusion that they were planned and issued as a unified set in 1873, not separate sheets from different projects.

Such fan-shaped educational prints were likely intended as instructive yet decorative tools for students or curious readers, blending practical geography with cultural reverence for Kyoto as Japan’s historical capital.