There are several interesting codes in the Bankoku sōzu (1600), such as
iconic and presentational codes. Firstly, the map uses irregularly shaped icons to establish
boundaries between areas. Wrapping the whole map with oval lines and using a black and white
line separates the map in the middle, dividing the map into four parts according to the East,
West, North, and South. Moreover, there are some presentational codes in the map; for example,
the map uses different colors to label regions and nations, especially, the map uses dark blue to
paint Japan’s area. The association of the color might because of Japan is an island country and
surrounded by the ocean; therefore, the map uses dark blue to represent Japan. Also, the scripts
on the map are fascinating, such as marks the cities of China, particularly, it indicates the Ming
Dynasty that China was going through at the time of 1600s, and marks with two Chinese
characters in the area of the capital city Nanking. It is worth mentioning that China is the only
country that tags different cities on the whole map. In this way, all these codes bring many
associations of the implication relationship between China and Japan, such as the two countries
are close to business trade and cultural exchange, so Japanese are familiar with China’s
geography, and they can draw the map of China. Besides, there is a fascinating script write on
the part of the South area, ” 自是南方地人到者少故未審其人物如何.” The English translation
is that few people come to the South, so they cannot depict the picture. Therefore, the code
defines the South area as a mysterious region on the map, encouraging people to take adventure
attitudes toward this space.
Furthermore, the map of Bankoku sōzu (1600) has “fantastic cultural” world-building.
The title of the map was written by the Chinese character “萬國縂圖, ” the translation is a
general map of ten thousand nations, which is the embryonic form of the World Map, and it
shows that people begin to realize the importance of cultural interaction with the whole world.
The map has drawn forty boxes of people from various places with different races and
appearances. Some of these people are based on reality to depict, such as China and some
Western countries. It gives the details of the clothing, tools, and physical features, proving some
particular cultural exchanges and interactions between these countries and Japan.
On the other hand, some people on the map are more likely based on ancient
mythology development. For example, dwarfs and cannibals, specifically, the Chinese tag,
mentions that the cannibal only eats men but not women, which curious where these legends
come from or might that back to the ancient time there are ethnic groups that actually
cannibalism. The genetic problems could also cause dwarfs and giants, especially the giant
kingdom’s location marked on the map as “長人.”
In conclusion, whether these fabulous legends are true or not, this map represents
the most advanced world cultural interaction at that time. It delivered the message that Japan’s
awareness of world civilization and expresses curiosity of unknown space of the world and the
desire to explore more areas.