竹島問題の歴史

20.9.07

Oki & Matsushima Same Color on 1881 Japanese Map

Today I noticed on an 1881 Japanese map (大日本府県分轄図), which I previously posted HERE, that Japan's Oki Island (隱岐) and Matsushima (松島) are marked in the same brown color, but Takeshima (竹島) is not marked. A region near Oki Island on the Japanese coast is also outlined in the same brown color as Oki and Matsushima. If the 1881 mapmaker believed Takeshima to be Korea's Ulleungdo and Matsushima to be Liancourt Rocks, then that would probably explain why he marked Matsushima as Japanese, but did not mark Takeshima. (Mr. Tanaka Kunitaka talks about the map HERE.)

The positions of the islands on the map suggest that its Takeshima was the mismapped Ulleungdo (Argonaut), and Matsushima was the real Ulleungdo, so the mapmaker seems to have colored in the islands based on their names and not on their positions. The real Liancourt Rocks do not seem to appear on the map.

CLICK ONCE ON THE MAP TO TO ENLARGE IT AND AGAIN TO ENLAGE IT MORE

4 comments:

  1. Gerry,

    It is an interesting map.

    It may reveal that Japanese in those days thought that Takeshima and Matsushima were once Japanese islands (as Take and Matsu are words to mean a couple which relates to good luck), but they knew that Takeshima (Ulleungdo) was given to Chosun.

    So naturally Matsushima remained.

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  2. According to this Hokkaido Uni's site, the map was made by the geographic bureau of the Ministry of Interior (内務省地理局). So it was official map of Meiji government. Though it still map two island in wrong position, it is quite interesting that it shows that Matsushima as Japanese territory, but not Takeshima

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  3. Gerry Bevers wrote:

    If the 1881 mapmaker believed Takeshima to be Korea's Ulleungdo and Matsushima to be Liancourt Rocks, then that would probably explain why he marked Matsushima as Japanese.

    If the 1881 mapmaker didn't believe Takeshima to be Korea's Ulleungdo and Matsushima to be Liancourt Rocks, how will you interpret this map?

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    pacifist wrote:

    It may reveal that Japanese in those days thought that Takeshima and Matsushima were once Japanese islands (as Take and Matsu are words to mean a couple which relates to good luck)

    What made you think this map reveal that Japanese in those days thought that Takeshima and Matsushima were once Japanese islands? The words Take and Matsu meaning a couple prove Dokdo is an attached island to Ulleongdo, but it is not related to what you believe that Japanese in those days thought that Takeshima and Matsushima were once Japanese islands.

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    Kaneganese wrote:

    Though it still map two island in wrong position, it is quite interesting that it shows that Matsushima as Japanese territory

    Do you refer to "Matsushima" as Dokdo here? If so, why does this map show Dokdo as Japanese territory in spite of wrong position?

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