The Map Room houses approximately 510,000 single-sheet domestic and foreign maps from the Meiji period, and approximately 80,000 domestic residential maps. (Maps predating the Edo period are housed in the Rare Books and Old Materials Room.)
Here we introduce the main materials housed in the NDL Map Room.
To ascertain further details about the collection, please consult the page associated with each map.

1. Single-sheet Maps

1-1. Topographical Maps of Japan

• Topographical Maps of Japan
  1:25,000 topographical maps, 1:50,000 topographical maps, and 1:200,000 geographical maps, among others, issued by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (and its precursors).

1-2. Urban Maps of Japan (City Maps)

• Urban Maps of Japan (City Maps) (in Japanese)
  City maps from every region of Japan since the Meiji period.

1-3. Maps of Countries around the World

• Maps of Countries around the World (List of Country Names and Region Names) (in Japanese)
  Topographical and geographical maps, or basic maps conforming to these, of each world nation and region.

1-4. Thematic Maps

1-4-1. Geological Survey Maps

• Geological Survey Maps (in Japanese)
  1:50,000 geological survey maps, 1:200,000 geological survey maps, marine geology maps, and geological maps of volcanoes, etc., issued by the Geological Survey of Japan (and its predecessor).

1-4-2. Nautical Charts

• Nautical Charts (in Japanese)
  Nautical charts issued by the Japan Coast Guard (and its predecessor) including older, out of print editions of nautical charts produced since the Meiji period.

1-4-3. Other Thematic Maps

• Fundamental Land Classification Survey Maps (in Japanese)
• Land Condition Maps (in Japanese)
• Active Fault Maps (Active Urban Area Fault Maps) (in Japanese)
• Vegetation Maps (in Japanese)
• Coastal Zone Topographical and Land Condition Maps (in Japanese)
• Aeronautical Charts (in Japanese)
• Land-use Maps (in Japanese)
• City Planning Maps (in Japanese)
• Communications Maps (Postal Maps) (in Japanese)

1-5. Distinctive Collection Materials

1-5-1. Gaihōzu (Japanese Imperial Maps)

• Gaihōzu (List) (in Japanese)
  "Gaihōzu" are maps created before 1945 primarily for military purposes by the Land Surveying Bureau of the General Staff Office of the former Japanese Army (what is now the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan), the Governor-General of Korea, and the Governor-General of Taiwan, etc. While many of these maps are topographical maps of territory occupied by the former Japanese Army and its surrounding areas, detailed urban maps and top-secret nautical charts are also included.

1-5-2. Maps produced by U.S. Army Map Service (AMS)

• Maps produced by U.S. Army Map Service (AMS) (in Japanese)
  AMS maps are maps made by the former U.S. Army Map Service (AMS) from 1940 to about 1960. These include maps for each nation and urban maps in addition to 1:1,000,000 world maps spanning all parts of the globe.

1-5-3. The Watanabe Collection

• The Watanabe Collection (in Japanese)
  The Watanabe Collection is a collection of approximately 5,600 maps assembled by Mr. Taizo Watanabe (1912-1963), who worked for institutions such as the Land Surveying Bureau and Waseda University Library. Modern topographical maps of Japan (maps from 1880 through the Shōwa era) predating the inauguration of the Land Surveying Bureau have been put together into a collection.

2. Residential Maps

• Residential Maps (in Japanese)
  In Residential Maps, building names and the residents of each building have been recorded and collated into book form maps. The scale varies by region and page, and currently, most of the maps are created on scales in the range of 1:6,000 to 1:1,200. The names of the residents recorded on the maps are based on the descriptions on the building nameplates and the mailboxes.
  The Map Room houses Residential Maps of almost every region in Japan.

Related Articles

• Related Links of the Map Room