Kaempfer (1651-1716) was a German physician in the service of the Dutch East India Company. He lived in Nagasaki between September 1690 and October 1692. He twice accompanied the chief of the factory at Deshima on his embassy to Tokyo (Edo). While in Nagasaki he conducted an intense study of Japanese history, geography, customs, and flora. Leaving Japan in November 1692 he arrived in Amsterdam in October of 1693. This map was prepared by Johann Caspar Scheuchzer from the maps brought back from Japan by Engelbert Kaempfer, and was published in a Dutch edition of Kaempfer's "History of Japan."

The first map describes the initial part of the route from the Dejima trading post at Nagasaki to the shogun in Edo. It covers the route from Nagasaki to Kokura, and shows a track both through the Ariake Sea and around it. The second map is oriented with north at the top and describes the second part of the route, covering the sea route from Kokura to Kurishima. This journey was embarked upon once a year by the ambassadors of the Dutch East India Company, and was the only opportunity for foreigners to travel in Japan during this period. North is oriented to the left and the title appears in both French and Dutch on this map.

References: Walter #104A & #104B.

Condition: A

Issued folding, now flattened on clean, bright sheets with narrow margins at right. The second sheet has a tiny tear at far right that has been closed on verso with tape.