Edo-Showa style maps

Introducing new products and paper material files produced by totemap (Office 6/7), which specializes in map pattern design.

We will deliver a set of 10 beautifully finished old map pattern files that make use of the unique texture of paper in an original pasted box with an Edo pattern.

Full of highlights for each era! Not only history lovers but also young people such as junior high and high school students should definitely see this product as a material for learning Japanese history.

Only old map patterns that you will want to pick up and take a closer look! Would you like to go for a timeless historical walk?

This time, in addition to this, you can choose from three product options in combination with the old map pattern tote bag, bandana, old map furoshiki, and Edo Kiriko glass.

〖1〗 About old maps to refer to

There are many old maps and materials that we can see at present, but the maps that I use as the basis for map design can be broadly divided into the following two types.

A: Old maps and materials that are held and exhibited in libraries and museums and can be viewed on the WEB.

-Case study-

"Sekigahara Battle Figure Folding Screen" After applying to the Sekigahara Town History and Folklore Learning Center, draw a design with reference to the image and commercialize it as a clear file, tapestry cloth, etc.

B: Rare maps and materials that history lovers don't usually see, obtained directly from antique dealers and secondhand bookstores.

-Case study-

Obtained at an old map shop in "Showa 12 Great Tokyo Division Map". Produced and provided an original clear file to a local bookstore founded at that time

This time, we carefully selected the ones that everyone can enjoy from both A and B, and created 10 kinds of old map pattern files.

〖2〗 Until the old map design is completed

Founded 13 years ago to make local souvenirs with map design, we started making products with designs based on the "old map" that we were originally interested in from the 5th year.

The first design I worked on was an old map of Tokyo right after the Meiji Restoration.

All of the old maps that we refer to are old ones whose copyright protection period has expired, but some institutions such as museums, libraries, and universities own the original maps and image data, and basically simply copy them. It cannot be commercialized just by printing it.

In addition, old maps that are more than 100 years old are often dirty and damaged, and are not suitable for product patterns as they are.

In order to bring it back to life as a beautiful pattern, I started by faithfully drawing the original drawing.

At the same time, we have rewritten the Hentaigana, broken characters, and variant characters (old characters) that are often used in pre-Meiji literature so that anyone can read them, and if there are any obvious typographical errors due to the transcription at that time, we have corrected them.

I spend the most time on this decryption task. Sometimes it takes several months, and sometimes we seek out a person who is familiar with it or a specialist teacher and consult with us.

〖3〗 Old map design products

In this way, we sometimes spend more than half a year to complete the carefully produced "beautiful old map pattern that you can read and enjoy" and develop various original products unique to our company.

* You can see the original old map pattern products here.

Totemap

We will introduce the highlights of the 10 kinds of old map patterns that we will deliver this time, in order from the oldest year of publication.

* The left is the original drawing, and the right is the design I drew.

★ Introducing works such as dramas and movies with the background of that time. Please enjoy the old map file with one hand.

① Decoding / Hokusai Tokaido 圖 (1818 / Bunsei Gen)

Bird's-eye view by Katsushika Hokusai. With the composition of Kyo on the top and Edo on the bottom, it is a wonderful landscape map where the huge Mt. Fuji is eye-catching. The official name is "List of famous places on the Tokaido", but it is also known as "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido", and not only the post stations on the Tokaido but also the famous places along the way are described in detail. It seems to be quite deformed and difficult to grasp as a map, so if you can read only the letters, it will be more enjoyable? I tried to decipher and draw it. For me, who only majored in Japanese history at university and is not an expert in ancient documents, it is a series of obfuscated characters, and it can be said that it took the longest time to date. There are many post stations and famous places that still remain, and you will want to walk along the Tokaido with your own feet. (Reference: "New Revised Japanese Meisho Zue Collection 1 Tokaido Meisho Zue [Top / Middle / Bottom])

★ Works against the background of those days

・ Movie HOKUSAI (Hajime Hashimoto)

(2) Decoding / Edo Suburbs (1830 / Bunsei 13)

From the latter half of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji era, this "Toto suburb map" was published as a guide map for the suburbs of Edo. There are nearly 10 similar figures, one of which is the map of the Bunsei era. It can be said that it was a "tourist guide map" for people at that time to visit cherry blossoms and temples and shrines on a day trip or for one or two nights. The north-south position looks a little inaccurate compared to the east and west, but it is an interesting old map that shows that not only the central part of Edo but also the suburbs have already developed at that time. When deciphering the village name and Nitta name, the remaining town names, intersection names, bridge names, etc. helped.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ Tokaido Nakagiri Kurige (Jippensha Ikku)

・ Serial drama Oedo Great Journey ~ Oise visit ~ (Masanori Inoue)

③ Shanhai Yudi Quantum (1853 / Kaei 6)

The Earth map published at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, about 250 years after the publication of the Western-style egg-shaped earth map by Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci. It is said that people at that time also recognized it as an outdated map as a reprint of the classic, but it was popular because it was friendly, flat, and easy to understand. There is no continent of Australia in the south, there is "Megara ni" that is attached to the South Pole, and in the north there are countries of the night and dwarfs. It is a very unique and interesting map that we can see today. (Reference: "Matteo Ricci World Map and Early Modern Japan" (National Museum of Japanese History), etc.)

★ Works against the background of those days

・ 2010 Taiga drama "Ryomaden"

④ Decoding / Man'en Edo 圖 (1860 / Man'en Gen)

In the Edo period, many "Edo maps" depicting the entire area of Edo were made. Among them, the Man'en Edo map of the age closest to the end of the Edo period was deciphered and drawn. Speaking of 1860, it was the year when Naosuke Ii was assassinated in March due to a strange event outside Sakuradamon. As you know, after this incident, the authority of the shogunate fell and the Edo period, which lasted 265 years, will come to an end. In this era, which is often featured in taiga dramas and historical novels, you can deepen your understanding by looking at the maps of that time.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ JIN-Jin-

・ 2021 Taiga drama "Reach Beyond the Fine Sky"

⑤Yokohama Shinkei List Picture 圖 (1892 / Meiji 25)

Yokohama Port, which opened in 1859 (Ansei 6), rapidly developed into an international city. In the Meiji era, the lamp station, gas station, and railway were already built up to Yokohama station (currently Sakuragicho station), and many ships floated off the harbor, showing the development of the station. It will take about 100 years until the new port and Minatomirai, which are the bases of tourism, are completed, but it is a beautiful and valuable picture that shows that Yokohama Port at that time was also a popular town with high color that fascinates people.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ It is said that "Kimi-chan", who is said to be the model of the nursery rhyme "Akai Kutsu" written by Ujo Noguchi, will be born 10 years later.

⑥ Tokyo's latest whole story (1905 / Meiji 38)

This original map is a reprint of the map published in 1883. Initially, I drew it in a square to make a furoshiki, but this time I cut out the center to the file size. Tokyo in 1883 was not a "capital" but a "fu", and the city of Tokyo below it was divided into 15 wards. Kojimachi-ku, Kanda-ku, Nihonbashi-ku, Kyobashi-ku, Shiba-ku, Azabu-ku, Akasaka-ku, Yotsuya-ku, Ushigome-ku, Koishikawa-ku, Hongo-ku, Shimotani-ku, Asakusa-ku, Honjo-ku, Fukagawa -ku) 1905 is the year of the end of the Japan-Russia war. Japan will secure its position as an emerging imperialist nation in Asia and head for the subsequent World War. Maps of this era can be said to be valuable materials that can be read that cannot be understood only by studying textbooks.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ Clouds on the slope (Ryotaro Shiba, NHK drama)

・ Hanako to Anne (2014 NHK Morning Dora)

⑦ Kyoto Place of Scenic Beauty (1922 / Taisho 11)

I drew it based on the Kyoto tourist information map about 100 years ago. A railroad map with a distance from Kyoto to Nara, Osaka, and Nagoya is also drawn. Illustrations are also written on the main tourist attractions, and even the numbers in the order of sightseeing are written. It is a lively and fun map that includes a map, a tourist information map, and a route map. (The back side is the Osaka sightseeing guide map introduced in ⑧)

★ Works against the background of those days

・ 2013 Taiga drama "Yae no Sakura"

⑧ Osaka sightseeing guide (1922 / Taisho 11)

I drew it based on the Osaka sightseeing guide map about 100 years ago. The back side is the Kyoto scenic spot sightseeing map introduced in ⑦, but compared to it, it looks more like a city planning map that includes railway lines, road plans, etc. rather than tourist information. Osaka was in the Great War economy of World War I, and industrialization of textiles, chemicals, shipbuilding, etc. progressed and achieved rapid growth. After that, while the Taisho democracy progressed and popular culture blossomed and became a vibrant era, the war economy disappeared with the end of the war, and the recession came again, and it can be said that hopes and anxieties for the future were mixed. At that time, the subway was not open yet, and trams were running all over the town, but this tram, which opened in 1903, was completely abolished in 1969.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ Carnation (2011 NHK morning drama)

・ Warotenka (2017 NHK Morning Dora)

⑨ Great East Japan Earthquake (1923 / Taisho 12)

This map is based on the appendix of the Osaka Daily Report, which summarizes the devastation of the fire in the center of Tokyo and Yokohama immediately after the Great Kanto Earthquake. The area shown in red is the area burned down by the fire after the earthquake. It is a vivid document that shows that the situation in Yokohama as well as Tokyo was miserable. This was published by a newspaper company in Osaka about two weeks after the earthquake, which shows how devastating the capital was.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ Movie The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki)

・ Feast (2013 NHK morning drama)

⑩ Latest Tokyo Tourism Map (1964 / Showa 39)

I drew it based on the tourist map of Tokyo at that time. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is still near Tokyo Station. The subway is still open only on some lines such as the Ginza line, Marunouchi line, and Hibiya line, and the streetcars and trolley buses of Toden are spread all over the town. It can be said that it is a very nostalgic and memorable and valuable map for those who remember those days.

★ Works against the background of those days

・ Movie ALWAYS Sunset on Third Street (Takashi Yamazaki)

・ 2019 Taiga drama "Idaten-Tokyo Olimpic Story-"

Product specifications

《Paper file》

・ A4 spread size approx. 460 x 310 mm (A3 size when spread)

・ Matte PP processing

・ Made in Japan (Honyama Printing Co., Ltd.)

《Paste box》

・ Receiving box: width 240 x length 360 x height 70 mm

・ Lid: 245 horizontal x 365 vertical x 55 mm high

・ Pattern: Decoding ・ Man'en Edo map

・ Made in Japan (Honyama Printing Co., Ltd.)

·made in Japan

《Set product》

〇 Man'en Edo map Bandana (lunch cross)

・Size: 530 mm square

・ Material: Cotton (compass material)

·made in Japan

〇 Edo Tokyo Tote Map (Vertical Tote Bag)

・ Pattern: One side is an old map of Edo, and the other side is a map of current Tokyo.

・Size: Width 350 x Length 400 mm Handle 550 mm Flat type

・ Material: 10 ounce canvas (thick)

·made in china

〇Old map pattern interior furoshiki

・ Pattern: 1905 (Meiji 38) Tokyo map pattern

・Size: 680mm square

・ Material: Slightly thick polyester

·made in china

* Regarding files and pasted boxes, if the mass production efficiency is improved by your advance purchase, the regular selling price may be lower than the planned selling price.

* Design and specifications are subject to change. note that.

* The shipping time may be delayed depending on the order status, the supply status of the materials used, the manufacturing process, etc.

schedule

・ September 21, 2021: Project publication started

Exhibition started in Sogo Yokohama store 5F Makuake shop

・ October 25, 2021: Project publication finished

Exhibition ends at Sogo Yokohama store 5F Makuake shop

・ Late November 2021: Scheduled to be shipped

How to use the total amount of pre-orders

We will use it for the production cost of the product.

I wanted to do a job related to the local area where I was born and raised, so I started a business 13 years ago as a housewife to make design products specializing in map patterns. However, I had never been involved in designing or making things before, so I started drawing maps and illustrations in my own way, managed to complete the first design and product specifications, searched for an overseas factory, and asked for sewing. .. There were various difficulties, but I was impressed when the product was completed and arrived.

↓ This is the first tote map I made. (Currently not for sale)

The brand name "totemap®" is a combination of tote (carry) + map (map).

It is a tote bag that is fun just to look at, printed with colorful maps carefully drawn over time, from a single road to an illustration of a building. I was able to go around the local shops and ask for sales to several shops, and it was the debut of Tote Map.

After that, we started to make tote maps of cities other than the local area in response to the requests of customers and dealers, and three years later, the map-patterned mug "mapmug" series was born.

After that, he challenged the design of overseas maps and old maps, made various products, and now not only maps of familiar cities, but also maps of overseas cities, old maps, nautical charts, aeronautical charts, route maps, trails. We design original maps based on all kinds of maps, such as maps, and develop them into cloth such as baths, cloths, scarves, and items such as T-shirts.

* You can see the original map pattern products here.

Totemap