Jun 07, 2018 - Sale 2481

Sale 2481 - Lot 114

Price Realized: $ 6,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 5,000
(JAPAN.) Large folding manuscript map of Shimoda. Ink and watercolor map on 6 sheets of thin paper joined. 29 1/2x31 1/2 inches; minimal unobtrusive worm holes. [Japan, 1858]

Additional Details

with: An early manuscript copy of the Harris Treaty or Treaty of Amity & Commerce or the Ansei Treaties. 8vo format in two parts with 35 pages, stitched with modern thread, light damp and worm tracking.

After Perry's opening of Japan, the country's isolationist stance on foreign policy shifted. Negotiations in the late 1850's led to formal agreements of commerce and trade between Japan, the United States and other western countries. The port and city of Shimoda was one of the earliest to allow foreign diplomacy to occur and many treaties, such as the Harris Treaty were signed here. Shimoda is also the site of the first American Consulate in Japan. Printed copies of the Ansei Treaties occasionally appear on the market; however the present early manuscript copy and beautiful large hand-drawn map of the integral port suggest possible official reasons behind its creation.