National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

The maps of Japan made by Inō Tadataka (1745 - 1818) and his group are called Inō-zu (Inō maps). Those Inō maps were made in three scales: large (1: 36000 scale), middle (1: 216000 scale), and small (1: 432000) versions. This set is one of the small versions. It has been part of the Tokyo National Museum collection for many years, but it was confirmed as a small Inō-zu as recently as 2002. The small versions contain three areas: Ezo-chi, eastern Honshū, and the area consisting of western Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū. The one in the Kobe City Museum and some others have been known as small Inō maps in Japan, but this set is the only one at present known to have all three areas. They are drawn with the shintotsu method (Inō's original method of copying maps), and the zero-degree line of their longitude passes through Kyoto. There is a red seal of "Shoheizaka Gkaumon-jo" (Shoheizaka school) on them.
1-1\tEzo-chi
Ezo-chi means Hokkaido Island. This map does not have the southern part of Oshima peninsula, but covers Kunashiri Island and Cape Shiranushi in the southern part of Karafuto. There are only compass lines for islands, such as Rishiri and Rebun, and the mountainous areas. Western Kunashiri Island, part of the northern Shiretoko Peninsula, and part of eastern Oshima Peninsula were not surveyed. Longitude is shown from four degrees to twelve degrees east, latitude is shown from forty-two degrees to forty-six degrees north. At the bottom of the map, there are two northern halves of a compass rose as tallies for putting it together with another map. The northern part of Ezo-chi is based on measurements by Rinzō Mamiya (1780–1844).
1-2\tEastern Honshū
Covers the area from southern Oshima Peninsula to the Kinki region. Different from Ezo-chi, not only the coastal areas but also the inland areas, including ones along the main routes, and islands, such as Sado and the seven islands of Izu, are also properly measured. Longitude is shown from zero degrees, which is the western end of the map, to seven degrees east, latitude is shown from thirty-one degrees to forty-one degrees north. There are two compass roses, both at the top and west as tallies. There is a worm-eaten spot in the center.
1-3 Western Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū
Covers the western part of Kinki region, Western Honshū, Chūgoku, Shikoku, Kyūshū, and the islands of Oki, Tsushima, Iki, Gotō, Amakusa, Tanegashima, and Yakushima. Korea and some parts of the Tokara Archipelago are connected by compass lines. Longitude is shown from one degree to seven degrees west, and latitude is shown from thirty degrees to thirty-seven degrees north. There are two compass roses on the eastern side of the map as tallies.