The map is based on Blaeu's map of Japan of 1655, and has a highly decorative colour cartouche at the top, with framed landscape views, and Oriental design elements.
It focuses on Japan and part of Korea. It shows the archipelago in detail, with portions of the Korean Peninsula and the mysterious Terre D’Yedso.
Japan is divided into political units, as the title indicates, with the principal towns in each indicated.
To the west of Japan is both the Sea of Korea (Mer de Corée) and the Sea of Japan (Mer de Japon). The name of this body of water had long been disputed and is still a matter of contention today. Vaugondy erred on the side of including both names.
“Terre D’Yedso” is a reference to Jesso, a feature included on many seventeenth and eighteenth-century maps. Historically, Eso (Yeco, Jesso, Yedso, Yesso) refers to the island of Hokkaido. It varies on maps from a small island to a near-continent sized mass that stretched from Asia to Alaska.
The title is contained in an elaborate cartouche which showcases the bounty and beauty of Japan. A double scale bar is included in a simple cartouche in the lower right corner.
This map was drawn at a time when Japan was prosperous and strong during the Edo Period, (1603 to 1868) but it was largely closed to foreigners. It was of intense interest to Europeans, even if most could only access the islands through a detailed map like this one.
Didier Robert de Vaugondy (1723-1786) was an influential figure in the realm of 18th-century French cartography.
He worked during a time when Paris was becoming a central hub for cartographic activities, incorporated the latest findings from explorers into his maps, making them sought-after for their contemporary relevance.
The maps produced by him and his family members, characterized by precision and the inclusion of contemporary findings, helped to shape our understanding of the world during a transformative period in European history.
