1904 Landis Missionary Wall Map of Japan and Taiwan

This is a 1904 or Meiji 37 Henry Mohr Landis chromolithograph missionary map of Japan. This map was published by the Tokyo Methodist Publishing House for missionary use.

A Closer Look

The islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku occupy the center, while an inset of Hokkaido occupies the upper left. The map features insets focusing on Taiwan, the environs of Osaka and Kyoto, and the region from the Kuril Islands to Taiwan, Tokyo, the environs of Tokyo, the Okinawa Archipelago to Taiwan, the Bonin Islands, and the Kuril Islands.

A Map for Missionaries

A key just below the title explains the icons used throughout to identify the churches and kogisho (公議所; religious lecture halls). Simple dots mark cities without churches or kogisho. The map emphasizes where Christian evangelism flourished, was rejected, or remained unintroduced. Many areas farther removed from the main railway lines are unexposed, suggesting that missionaries prioritized easy-access regions.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process uses multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Generally, a chromolithograph begins with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors are layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color can be blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda.

Publication History and Census

This 1904 map was compiled by Henry M. Landis, lithographed in 4 colors by Hoeisha of Kanda Mitoshirocho, Tokyo, and published by the Methodist Publishing House. It was printed on October 25, 1904, and passed censorship for release on December 18. Seven examples are cataloged in OCLC and are part of the institutional collections at Columbia University, the Western Theological Seminary, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Cambridge, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the National Library of Australia. Rare on the market.