Ikedake Bunko Ezu Database

Classification of pictorial maps and drawings

The Ikeda Family Collection comprises materials related to almost all events that took place in the Okayama domain. To ensure the ease of preservation and accessibility to the materials, we have classified them into several categories using a system unique to the Ikeda Family Collection. The category beginning with “T” refers to pictorial maps and drawings in the Ikeda Family Collection.

Category (T1): Category (T1) comprises pictorial maps of provinces, which show geographical states of respective provinces sometime between the early Edo Period (17th century) and the Meiji Period (19th century). Several maps were prepared by the order of the Edo shogunate government; all feudal lords in Japan were ordered to prepare maps of their provinces and submit them to the shogunate government several times in the Edo Period. This collection includes maps of Bizen Province and Bicchu Province (presently Okayama Prefecture) prepared several times in different ages along with maps of Japan (a series comprising over 60 provincial maps) prepared in the early Edo Period.
Category (T2): Category (T2) comprises maps of districts in Bizen and Bicchu provinces, such as maps of the Wake, Kojima, Jodo, and Tsudaka districts (all belonging to Bizen Province). These maps show names and locations of villages, rice fields, roads, and water channels. Concerning Bicchu Province, there are many maps of the Kaya, Asakuchi, and Kuboya districts.
Category (T3): Category (T3) features pictorial maps and drawings of Okayama Castle and its vicinity, as well as survey drawings of the castle tower. In addition, there are drawings of some stone walls of Okayama Castle, which were attached to an official written request seeking permission of the Edo shogunate government for repairing collapsed parts of the stone walls. In addition to maps of Okayama Castle, maps of other castles in various parts of Japan and their vicinities are included in the database.
Category (T4): Category (T4) comprises layout drawings of district offices and other governmental offices of the Okayama domain.
Category (T5): Category (T5) features layout drawings of buildings of Okayama Castle, including drawings of Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Nishinomaru structures and baileys, and blueprints for civil engineering projects. In addition, there are many layout drawings of residences of the Okayama domain in both Okayama and Edo, and of other residences, buildings, and gardens related to the Okayama domain in various parts of Japan. Since there are multiple drawings of the same buildings prepared in different eras, by comparing such drawings, you could study the history of remodeling and extension of buildings, as well as re-landscaping of gardens.
Category (T6): Category (T6) includes many pictorial maps of the castle town around Okayama Castle during the Edo Period. An old map of Okayama, for example, shows residential zones of warriors, their names, locations of roads, water channels, the Asahikawa River , and the castle. There are also maps of the castle town in Himeji, which is related to the Ikeda family, and pictorial maps of Amagi in the Kojima District.
Category (T7): Category (T7) comprises blueprints and pictorial maps used for various civil engineering projects undertaken by the Okayama domain, including the renovation of Okayama Castle, construction and renovation of Korakuen Garden, and reclamation projects of the coastline in Okayama. In addition, there are blueprints used in construction projects of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, in which the Okayama domain was involved.
Category (T8): Category (T8) comprises maps of traffic routes in Japan, including marine routes and highway routes, as well as maps showing the coastlines of the Inland Sea and other parts of Japan. Some maps of highways and coastlines feature a pictorial style. In addition to pictorial maps drawn on a sheet of paper, many have been made into scrolls and books. Tozai dochu no ezu (Map of the Route from East to West), for example, is mounted on a sumptuous folding book and depicts routes from Edo to Nagasaki. The book employs an artistic style to represent the Tokaido Highway, the Inland Sea, and mountains, rivers, seas, and towns in northern Kyushu. Looking at this map, you can understand traffic and travel situations during the Edo Period.
Category (T9): Category (T9) comprises maps of various regions in Japan except for Okayama (particularly Oshu [now the Tohoku region] and Kyushu), along with maps of large cities (Hakodate, Edo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc.). Various artistic styles are used to create these maps.
Category (T10): Category (T10) comprises old maps of Japan and the world, prepared in various epochs. Particularly valuable are the map of Japan and the map of Korea prepared in the early Edo Period.
Category (T11): Category (T11) features pictorial maps of temples, shrines, and schools and drawings of Buddhist ceremonies, including the seat arrangement at rituals and events held in the Edo Period.
Category (T12): Category (T12) comprises maps of battlefields in and after the Warring States Period, including maps showing troop positions and drawings of batteries. There are many pictorial maps depicting historic battles, such as the battles of Kawanakajima and Nagashino, the Siege of Bicchu Takamatsu Castle, the Battle of Sekigahara, and the Winter and Summer Campaigns of the Siege of Osaka. Particularly valuable are maps of the battlefields in Shimabara and Fort Goryokaku in Hakodate, along with drawings of atakebune (warships)
Category (T13): Category (T13) comprises various maps and drawings that have not been included under categories T1 to T12. A few items in this category are extremely rare and precious, particularly drawings of firearm trade and gozabune (a roofed pleasure boat).