Map of Korea and Japan – 1815

Early Nineteenth-Century Cartography of the Korean Peninsula and Japan

This authentic antique map, engraved by Kirkwood and published in 1815 for John Thomson’s New General Atlas, offers a detailed geographic perspective of East Asia during the early nineteenth century. The hand-colored copperplate engraving delineates the distinct provincial divisions of the Korean Peninsula (labeled as Corea) alongside the main islands of the Japanese Empire, including Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

Historical Maritime Naming and Far East Topography

The archival document explicitly maps the body of water between the two nations as the “Sea of Japan,” bordered by the Strait of Corea to the south. It captures early Western understandings of regional topography, locating ancient mountain chains, coastal islands, and northern borders adjacent to Chinese Tartary, making it an invaluable resource for studying historical geography and geopolitical naming conventions in the Far East.