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"The cornerstone of geographical and cartographical exploration of pre-modern Japan is Philipp Franz von Siebold's "Nippon". The work was originally published over a period of 20 years from 1832 to 1852 with an edition of around 100 copies published by Siebold himself after being 8 years in Japan on duty for the Dutch. These 100 copies allocate to around 80 normal copies (in large quarto) while around 20 deluxe copies were published in imperial folio format with some plates coloured by hand and sold to monarchs like the Russian Czar, Queen Victoria, the Bavarian and Prussian Kings and the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary. A nice circle of really important book collectors :-) The work is exceedingly rare and virtually all copies of that edition lack some maps, views, plates or explanatory text. 100 years later, in 1930, it was decided to re-publish the deluxe edition in a numbered edition of 300 copies. The private copy of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary was selected as source material but publication met with bad timing (World Economic crisis). It was more than uncertain to publish this edition because in Europe just a few subscriptions (and even less in America) were found to get the project financed. Finally Maruzen - the largest bookseller in Tokyo - ordered around 150 of these 300 copies on his own risk and publication could be started: Two large quarto text volumes, one supplement/index volume of the same size (containing the first ever print of Siebold's groundbreaking Court Journey to Edo) and two imperial folio Atlas volumes containing more than 360 plates and maps. During that time - before US Commodore Perry opened Japan in 1854 - Japan was closed to all Western nations but The Netherlands. It was not only forbidden to bring maps of Japan outside the country but also to draw too accurate maps within Japan. While Siebold visited Edo 1826, he met the Japanese court astronomer Takahashi Kageyasu and the famous geographers Mogami Tokunai and Mamiya Rinzo, who provided Siebold with important cartographic information and a series of highly detailed manuscript maps. Many of these were by Ino Tadataka (1745-1818) who famously conducted the first modern mapping of Japan as well as compiling maps of Korea from the latest sources. That interest in cartography led to the so-called "Siebold Incident" which finally expelled him from Japan: In 1829, when officials accidentally discovered the map collection of Siebold, they were upset that a foreigner holds sources with such accurate and detailed geographical intelligence and military information. He was accused of being a Russian spy, brought under house arrest before he was expelled from the country. Surprisingly, the Japanese authorities did not confiscate all of Siebold's maps, allowing him to take them back to Europe. These maps are really impressive: large size, scientifically detailed and perfectly reproduced. They deal not only with heartland Japan, the Ryu-Kyu Kingdom (now Okinawa; then tributary to Japan) and Ezo (now Hokkaido) but also Taiwan, Sakhalin, strictly isolated Korea, The Kuriles and great parts of the East Chinese Sea. The whole Opus Magnum is printed on thick paper by "Graphische Anstalt Ganymed" - one of the best fine art printers in continental Europe at this time - and bound in solid half-leather by Wübben & Co. both located in Berlin. The reprint edition of 1930/1931 - so called "Centenary Edition" - receives the highest admiration among collectors because its plates are qualified as equal to the original plates when comparing. That's why some incomplete copies of the 1832 edition were completed with plates of the 1930/1931 edition. A lavishly produced edition which is nowadays as rare as the original edition. A work of great importance." Martin Nell, 2023) "Phillip Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) was a German physician, who joined the service of the Dutch East India Company (the VOC). In 1822-23, he traveled to Batavia (modern Jakarta), the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Residing in Japan from 1823, he quickly made contact with the country's leading scholars, as well as many senior political officials, and steadily acquired an unprecedented collection of botanical and ethnographic specimens. Sielbold's intense intellectual curiosity also led him to search for the most advanced cartography of East Asia. Siebold's epic study of Japan and Korea, Nippon. Archiv zur Beschreibung von Japan und dessen Neben- und Schutzländern: jezo mit den südlichen Kurilen, Krafto, Koorai und den Liukiu-Inseln (7 volumes), was printed in Leiden, Netherlands, 1832-1852). Highly detailed and profusely illustrated, it was by far the finest and most important European study of the history, ethnography, geography and flora and fauna of Japan and Korea published to date. More than any other work, it showcased Japan and Korea to western intelligentsia, on the eve of the wholesale opening of these countries to European trade and exchange. Sielbold's intense intellectual curiosity led him to search for the most advanced cartography of Japan and Korea. While on a visit to Edo (modern Tokyo) in 1826, he befriended Takahashi Kageyasu, the Japanese court astronomer, who provided him with a series of sophisticated maps, many of which were by the late Ino Tadataka (1745-1818). Tadataka famously conducted the first modern mapping of Japan, as well as compiling maps of Korea from the latest sources. Curiously, it was Siebold's interest in cartography that led to the so-called "Siebold Incident", which resulted in his expulsion from Japan. While the Japanese authorities seemed tolerant, if not a little bemused, by Siebold's endeavors to collect natural specimens, this indulgence had its limitations. In 1829, when officials accidentally discovered Siebold's map collection, they were aghast that a foreigner possessed sources that contained such accurate and detailed geographical intelligence and military information. Accusing him of being a Russian spy, they placed him under house arrest, before expelling him from the country. Surprisingly, the Japanese authorities did not confiscate all of Siebold's maps, allowing him to take them back to Europe. Upon Siebold's return to Europe in 1830, he settled in the Dutch university town of Leiden. He soon opened a magnificent museum for his specimen collection, and set to work on his monumental publication of Nippon, a project that would last 20 years. During this period he carefully prepared finished manuscript maps, in preparation for them to be lithographed." (Alexander Johnson and Dasa Pahor, 2018) The Japanese artist who created views for Philipp Franz von Siebold in the 1820s was named Kawahara Keiga. He was a Japanese painter and draughtsman who produced many illustrations and sketches of Japanese flora, fauna, landscapes, and daily life for von Siebold's study and collection. Kawahara Keiga is considered one of the most important artists who documented Japan during the Edo period. His works provide a valuable insight into Japanese culture and society of the time., For a copy of the 2 text volumes (courtesy of International Research Center for Japanese Studies) see https://rumsey3.s3.amazonaws.com/000138867.pdf