A. Empire of Japan, by Abraham Rees, from Cyclopaedia of Arts Sciences and Literature, circa 1820, black & white (15.8 x 9.6"). Finely engraved and detailed map showing numerous place names, topography, gold mines and more. The peninsula of Corea is left entirely blank, and an island in the Pacific is called Fatsisio, or Unhappy I. The Place of Exile for the Japanese Grandees. Oceans are fully ruled, and two distance scales appear in Korea. Engraved by Henry Schenck Tanner. Condition: Issued folding with faint scattered foxing and a narrow margin at top right.

B. Empire of Japan, by SDUK Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, dated 1835, hand color (12.6 x 15.3"). A handsome map of Japan with insets of Nagasaki Harbor and the eastern point of Yeso. Below the title are notes concerning both the homes of the Koubo (Secular Emperor ), at Yedo, and the Dairi (Spiritual Emperor ), at Meaco. Japan was in the midst of several years of turmoil and political upheaval regarding foreign trade. The Koubo regarded open trade as a economic necessity, whilst a growing anti-foreign movement supported an Imperial restoration. Engraved by J & C Walker and published by Baldwin & Cradock. Keyboard style border. Condition: Light toning along sheet edges with a handful of miniscule worm holes only visible when held up to light. There is a chip out of the bottom right corner of the sheet that does not affect the map image.

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Condition: B+

See description above.