Rare Old Map of Japan and Korea, 1923: colonial boundaries, relief shading, Taiwan/Formosa & Ryukyu
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1923 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in the UK
Restored from the original 1923 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
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Plate 3. Japan and Korea. Extension to Formosa and Lu-Chu Islands captures East Asia at a pivotal 1923 moment, marrying scholarly intent...
Continue readingPlate 3. Japan and Korea. Extension to Formosa and Lu-Chu Islands captures East Asia at a pivotal 1923 moment, marrying scholarly intent with refined cartographic art. Issued by the Institute of Social and Religious Research, the plate surveys Japan and Korea with extensions southward to Formosa (Taiwan) and the Lu-Chu (Ryukyu) archipelago. Full-color hypsometric tints stratify the landforms, unlocking the drama of mountain arcs and coastal shelves at a glance. An elegant cartouche anchors the composition, while crisp typographic conventions and disciplined linework announce a classic early-20th-century style. The result is a map that informs as it beguiles, revealing a region where political boundaries, physical geography, and sea lanes align and diverge in telling ways.
Created in the immediate post–World War I era, the map reflects the geopolitical order of the 1920s—Japan’s colonial administration in Korea (Chosun) and its possession of Formosa are plainly inscribed. Territorial boundaries, administrative notes, and careful city indexing offer an at-a-glance reading of authority and allegiance. Maritime nomenclature registers regional perspectives, with the Sea of Japan/Eastern Sea and the Yellow Sea shaping the peninsular and insular littorals. Urban centers are emphasized and interconnected by a dense skein of transport lines, attesting to industrial consolidation and imperial logistics. Together, these choices make the sheet a concise dossier on power, policy, and place in interwar East Asia.
The physical narrative is equally commanding. Hypsometric tints grade from low coastal plains to the crumpled highlands of the Japanese Alps, while the Chugoku Range rakes westward toward the Inland Sea. Rivers and watershed geometries organize settlement belts and corridors of movement, their courses marching seaward to the Pacific. The Ryukyu chain arcs delicately between Kyushu and Formosa, a stepping-stone realm underscored by the map’s bathymetric shading of surrounding waters. Named seas—the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan/Eastern Sea, and the open Pacific—frame the islands and peninsula, reminding the viewer that East Asia’s history is as maritime as it is continental.
Cartographically, the sheet exemplifies a disciplined regional projection typical of the period, preserving shape and bearing across a mid-latitude sweep. Insets isolate Hokkaido and Kyushu, resolving scale disparities and drawing attention to their distinct physiography and settlement patterns. Symbol conventions distinguish roads, railways, and maritime routes with legible economy, while political boundaries read clearly without overwhelming the relief. The palette is instructive as well as handsome: land elevations progress through calibrated tones, and coastal shallows modulate into deeper blues, guiding the eye naturally from summit to sound. The overall composition balances exacting detail with a poised, uncluttered grace.
That harmony of message and method reflects the Institute of Social and Religious Research’s educational mission. Their interest in social science emerges here as geography in service of understanding: the sheet fuses physical terrain with human systems to illuminate how mountains, rivers, and seas scaffold states, cities, and commerce. Annotations on territories and colonial regions contextualize the infrastructure below—rails threading valleys, roads skirting coasts, shipping routes knitting archipelagos. As a historical document, it distills the tensions and ambitions of a transforming East Asia; as an artwork, it stages them with luminous clarity. For the discerning collector, it is both time capsule and lens.
Countries and regions on this map
- Japan
- Korea (Chosun)
- Taiwan (Formosa)
- Lu-Chu Islands (Ryukyu Islands)
- Hokkaido
- Kyushu
- Yellow Sea
- Sea of Japan
- Pacific Ocean
- Eastern Sea
- Chugoku Mountain Range
- Japanese Alps
- Roads
- Rail systems
- Maritime routes
Notable Features & Landmarks
- Hypsometric tints illustrating elevation levels
- Detailed labeling of major cities and geographical features
- Inset maps of specific regions, such as Hokkaido and Kyushu
- Representation of bodies of water, including the Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, and surrounding oceans
- Mountain ranges and significant topographical features marked clearly
- Transportation routes, including roads and railways, indicated with distinct lines
- Annotations providing insight into historical territories and colonial regions
Historical and design context
- Year created: 1923
- Mapmaker/Publisher: Institute of Social and Religious Research (noted for scholarly social-science work and educational materials)
- Classic early 20th-century cartographic style with intricate detail and a balance of artistic and functional elements
- Elegantly designed cartouche incorporating the title
- Emphasis on political and physical geography, highlighting territorial boundaries, urban areas, mountains, and rivers
- Reflects the geopolitical context of East Asia in the 1920s, including colonial interests and territorial claims
- Serves as both a historical document and an artistic representation, offering insights into early 20th-century cartographic practices
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Plate 3. Japan and Korea. Extension to Formosa and Lu-Chu Islands captures East Asia at a pivotal 1923 moment, marrying scholarly intent with refined cartographic art. Issued by the Institute of Social and Religious Research, the plate surveys Japan and Korea with extensions southward to Formosa (Taiwan) and the Lu-Chu (Ryukyu) archipelago. Full-color hypsometric tints stratify the landforms, unlocking the drama of mountain arcs and coastal shelves at a glance. An elegant cartouche anchors the composition, while crisp typographic conventions and disciplined linework announce a classic early-20th-century style. The result is a map that informs as it beguiles, revealing a region where political boundaries, physical geography, and sea lanes align and diverge in telling ways.
Created in the immediate post–World War I era, the map reflects the geopolitical order of the 1920s—Japan’s colonial administration in Korea (Chosun) and its possession of Formosa are plainly inscribed. Territorial boundaries, administrative notes, and careful city indexing offer an at-a-glance reading of authority and allegiance. Maritime nomenclature registers regional perspectives, with the Sea of Japan/Eastern Sea and the Yellow Sea shaping the peninsular and insular littorals. Urban centers are emphasized and interconnected by a dense skein of transport lines, attesting to industrial consolidation and imperial logistics. Together, these choices make the sheet a concise dossier on power, policy, and place in interwar East Asia.
The physical narrative is equally commanding. Hypsometric tints grade from low coastal plains to the crumpled highlands of the Japanese Alps, while the Chugoku Range rakes westward toward the Inland Sea. Rivers and watershed geometries organize settlement belts and corridors of movement, their courses marching seaward to the Pacific. The Ryukyu chain arcs delicately between Kyushu and Formosa, a stepping-stone realm underscored by the map’s bathymetric shading of surrounding waters. Named seas—the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan/Eastern Sea, and the open Pacific—frame the islands and peninsula, reminding the viewer that East Asia’s history is as maritime as it is continental.
Cartographically, the sheet exemplifies a disciplined regional projection typical of the period, preserving shape and bearing across a mid-latitude sweep. Insets isolate Hokkaido and Kyushu, resolving scale disparities and drawing attention to their distinct physiography and settlement patterns. Symbol conventions distinguish roads, railways, and maritime routes with legible economy, while political boundaries read clearly without overwhelming the relief. The palette is instructive as well as handsome: land elevations progress through calibrated tones, and coastal shallows modulate into deeper blues, guiding the eye naturally from summit to sound. The overall composition balances exacting detail with a poised, uncluttered grace.
That harmony of message and method reflects the Institute of Social and Religious Research’s educational mission. Their interest in social science emerges here as geography in service of understanding: the sheet fuses physical terrain with human systems to illuminate how mountains, rivers, and seas scaffold states, cities, and commerce. Annotations on territories and colonial regions contextualize the infrastructure below—rails threading valleys, roads skirting coasts, shipping routes knitting archipelagos. As a historical document, it distills the tensions and ambitions of a transforming East Asia; as an artwork, it stages them with luminous clarity. For the discerning collector, it is both time capsule and lens.
Countries and regions on this map
- Japan
- Korea (Chosun)
- Taiwan (Formosa)
- Lu-Chu Islands (Ryukyu Islands)
- Hokkaido
- Kyushu
- Yellow Sea
- Sea of Japan
- Pacific Ocean
- Eastern Sea
- Chugoku Mountain Range
- Japanese Alps
- Roads
- Rail systems
- Maritime routes
Notable Features & Landmarks
- Hypsometric tints illustrating elevation levels
- Detailed labeling of major cities and geographical features
- Inset maps of specific regions, such as Hokkaido and Kyushu
- Representation of bodies of water, including the Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, and surrounding oceans
- Mountain ranges and significant topographical features marked clearly
- Transportation routes, including roads and railways, indicated with distinct lines
- Annotations providing insight into historical territories and colonial regions
Historical and design context
- Year created: 1923
- Mapmaker/Publisher: Institute of Social and Religious Research (noted for scholarly social-science work and educational materials)
- Classic early 20th-century cartographic style with intricate detail and a balance of artistic and functional elements
- Elegantly designed cartouche incorporating the title
- Emphasis on political and physical geography, highlighting territorial boundaries, urban areas, mountains, and rivers
- Reflects the geopolitical context of East Asia in the 1920s, including colonial interests and territorial claims
- Serves as both a historical document and an artistic representation, offering insights into early 20th-century cartographic practices
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 24 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 24 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
We work with interior designers, hospitality businesses, property professionals, offices and corporate buyers on individual pieces and larger coordinated projects.
This map can be adapted for a particular wall, room or project, and our workshop can help coordinate the dimensions, material and framing before production.
- Exact, oversized and made-to-measure dimensions
- Custom framing, mounting and alternative materials
- Coordinated pieces for several rooms or locations
- Map personalisation, to mark important locations or add extra details
- Map and framing guidance from our workshop
- Local production for projects around the world
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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