Constructing the Unknown World

( 知らない世界を 描く )

Background material for “The Travels of Mariko Horo.”

Researched in 2003 on a Japan Foundation Fellowship
and first presented at the Kyoto Art Center, Sept.2003

by Tamiko Thiel ( 多美子 テイール )

tamiko@alum.mit.edu
http://www.mission-base.com/tamiko/
How do we depict the unknown?

„ How did map makers depict the unknown world?

„ How did artists depict first contacts with new peoples?
„ How did artists depict countries they could not visit?

Visual Techniques:
„ first hand experience – drawing from life
„ descriptions from others 'creatively interpreted' into images
„ depictions drawn by others – exact copies or 'creative interpretations’

Common strategies for both European and Japanese artists:

„ Foreign men are depicted authentically but “ugly.” Women and admirable men are
depicted as “beautiful,” i.e. with the features of the artist’s own race.
„ Unknown building styles, etc. are depicted as ‘exoticized’ versions of the artist’s own
culture – or the most exotic country known: China.
„ Paintings, imagery, objects whose titles, content & function are unknown are freely re-
interpreted according to the fantasies of the artist.
Western View: Before Marco Polo
ƒ Ptolemy, Alexandria (Egypt), 200 AD
ƒ Cap Verde Islands to Gulf of Siam, China (Note: depicts world as a sphere)
Christian medieval view of the world

ƒ "World Map“
Lübeck (Germany)
first printed version, 1475
(earlier versions hand
drawn)

ƒ Map is centered around

Jerusalem, the middle of
the Christian world. (Asia
is above, Africa bottom
right, Europe bottom left.)

ƒ Each country represented

as mountain on a flat
earth.
Buddhist medieval view of the world

ƒ “Sankoku no Zu”
13th / 14th centuries (Map
of Three nations: India,
China and Korea)

ƒ Map is centered around

Mount Sumeru in the
Himalayas, the holy
mountain of the Buddhist
world.
ƒ

ƒ Countries important to
Buddhism are depicted as a
large island, surrounded by
water.

ƒ Japanese probably knew of

Africa, Arabia, Persia etc.
through Chinese accounts,
but wasn’t depicted on this
map.
"The Book of Wonders" – illustrated Marco Polo
ƒ Commissioned ~ 1410 by Duke of Burgundy (France), i.e. Over 100 years after Marco
Polo’s travels in 1271~1290.
ƒ Polo brought back wares, maps and tales, but apparently no illustrations
"The Book of Wonders“ – Depiction of Europe
ƒ Marco Polo (middle rider) leaves a European city with his father and brother
"The Book of Wonders“ – Depiction of Kublai Khan
ƒ The older Polos (kneeling, right) meet Kublai Khan (seated, left) via a Mongolian
emissary (kneeling, middle.) Mongols depicted as “exoticized” Europeans
"The Book of Wonders“ – Kublai Khan’s wives
ƒ The four (Asian!) wives of Kublai Khan and their children
"The Book of Wonders“ – Central Asian “savages”
ƒ Common European depictions of savage peoples during the Middle Ages
"The Book of Wonders“ – Island of Angamanam
ƒ Polo’s description:
The inhabitants "have an ugly dog-like head, with eyes and teeth like dogs."
"The Book of Wonders“ – Mongolian invasion of Japan
ƒ Mongolians with their ships on the right; Japanese defending their city on the left
ƒ Buildings and peoples as “exoticized” versions of European cultures
Western Maps After Marco Polo: “Mappamundi”

ƒ By Fra Mauro, Isola di

Murano, Venice, 1457 –’59

ƒ Commissioned by King
Alfonso V of Portugal

ƒ Based on Ptolemy's map

and an ‘improved copy of
the one brought from
Cathay by Marco Polo.’

ƒ Plus ‘documents of and

conversations with Niccolo
de Conti, Venetian
merchant who traveled in
Asia 1419 - 1444.’

ƒ Small island labeled isola

de Zimpagu = first depiction
of Japan on a Western
map?
Mappamundi – Cities of Cathay
ƒ Based on Polo’s descriptions, but depicted in “exoticized” European styles.
Japanese depictions of Westerners: First contact
ƒ Depicts Namban ('Southern Barbarians' = Portuguese) landing in Japan in 1543
ƒ Painted by follower of Kamo Naizen, ~1601
ƒ Initial purpose of Portuguese was to trade for silver and seek Christian converts.
ƒ Introduced exotic animals (elephant, tiger, dogs, Arabian horses, etc.) and exotic peoples
(Portuguese, Africans, other Asians)
Japanese depictions of Westerners: First contact
ƒ Detail of previous screen – note accuracy of depiction: faces, clothes, relative size …
ƒ Either eye-witness or exact copy of eye-witness sketches
Japanese depictions of a “foreign” (“Ikoku”) country
ƒ Country is unclear, could be Goa or Portugal
ƒ Foreign cultures, lands, people generally called 'ikoku' = 'foreign' or 'exotic'
ƒ If information is lacking, 'foreign' is depicted with Chinese imagery (the best known
'foreign' or 'exotic' culture)
Japanese depictions of a “foreign” (“Ikoku”) country
ƒ Detail
Japan’s view of world extended via Portuguese sources
ƒ Bankoku Jinbutsu Zu,
1645
(“People of 10,000
countries”)

ƒ Japanese copy of map and

depictions of the world's
peoples from Portuguese
sources.
Western depictions of Japanese: Drawn from life
Timetable:

ƒ St. Francis Xavier missionizes

Japan 1549-1515

ƒ Christianity prohibited 1614

ƒ Portrait of Hasekura Tsunenaga,

Head of Date Masamune's
mission to Europe 1613-1620.
Painted from life by European
artist in Rome.

ƒ Japan closed 1639-1853

Western depictions of Japanese: second hand
ƒ St.Francis Xavier preaching to a Daimyo: 1619/22 by Andre Reinoso
Western depictions of Japanese: Exoticized
ƒ … Daimyo and ministers as “oriental” i.e. Middle Eastern, 1640 by Manuel Henriques
ƒ Note that lower ranking Japanese are more realistically depicted
Western depictions of Japanese: Otomo Sorin
… and freely invented:

ƒ St. Francis Xavier (left)

being received by Daimyo
Otomo Sorin (right), who
converted to Christianity.

ƒ Painted 1641 by Anthony

van Dyck in Europe.

ƒ Incident, not culture, was

important. As Otomo Sorin
was a “good” man, he is
depicted as a handsome
young European.
Japanese depiction of Otomo Sorin, 1587
Japanese depictions of West: Exact copy, invented title
ƒ Utagawa Toyoharu (1772~’89) “The Bell Which Resounds for 10,000 Leagues in the
Komo (i.e. Dutch) Port of Frankai”
ƒ Visentini copperprint of original painting by Cannaletto, view of Canal Grande, Venice.
Japanese depictions of the West: Careful extensions

ƒ 1789~1801: Shiba Koukan's interpretation of

a Dutch print (original to the right in b/w).
ƒ Copied portions are fairly exact; imagined portions
show an Asian aesthetic.
Japanese depictions of the West: Amsterdam exoticized
ƒ Amsterdam harbor in Holland –
depicted as Chinese landscape
(18th century)
Comparison: Amsterdam reality
ƒ Photo of Leydse Graacht in Amsterdam
Japanese depictions of Westerners: Drawn from life
ƒ 'Mrs. Titia Cock Blomhoff and son Johannes:’ portrait of Mrs. Blomhoff very realistic.
(Western women were forbidden in Dejima – Mrs. Blomhoff was immediately sent home.)
Japanese depictions of Westerners: Idealized beauty
ƒ Dutch Couple: Man realistic, woman 'beautified' to Japanese standards
Japanese depictions of Westerners: Drawn from life
ƒ Philip Franz von Siebold.
Well regarded in Japan,
taught western medicine
during Edo Period. Had to
leave Japanese wife and
daughter behind when
expelled from Japan for
possession of maps.
Daughter became first
female doctor in Japan.

ƒ Left: European portrait.

ƒ Right: sympathetic
Japanese portrait – note
artist’s fascination for
Siebold’s blue eyes.
Japanese depictions of Westerners: “exotic/demonic”
Westerner, with their long noses, large eyes, red faces, loud voices and manners were often
depicted as ‘tengu’ (long-nosed goblins) or ‘oni’ (ogres)

Franz von Siebold in a “tengu” version Tengu mask for the Noh theater
– but with ‘sympathetic’ Japanese eyes
Japanese depictions of Westerners: Demonified
ƒ Commodore Perry, who 'opened' Japan in 1853, in classic oni or tengu depiction
(print: ~1853-79)
 Western depictions of Japanese: The Mikado (~1885)
ƒ Original posters from Gilbert
& Sullivan's popular play The
Mikado, ~1885

ƒ “Oriental” = Chinese, Turkish

etc.

ƒ (Even though Gilbert &

Sullivan had Japanese, who
were at the 1885
international exhibition in
London, come to show the
actors “how to be Japanese.”)
Western depictions of Japanese: The Mikado (2004)
ƒ Current version of Mikado (NY Gilbert and Sullivan Players):
'Three little maids' and 'Koko' aren't that far off …
Western depictions of Japanese: The Mikado (2004)
ƒ … but figures of 'PoohBah' and 'Mikado' retains very “Chinese” overtones
Evolution of an image: The Colossus of Rhodes
ƒ Built 282 BC, damaged by earthquake 226 BC
ƒ Remains sold to Syria in 654 AD by invading Arabs
ƒ No eyewitness illustrations – earliest depictions were inventions of Euopean artists

Gottfried, 1660 (Amsterdam) Shiba Koukan's copy, 1805

Evolution of an image: The Colossus of Rhodes
ƒ Utagawa Kuninaga's version (1801 ~ 1830)
Evolution of an image: The Colossus of Rhodes
ƒ Utagawa Kunitora's version (1815 ~ 1842)
Evolution of an image: Colossus becomes Asahina
ƒ Asahina (based on historic Kamakura era military commander) depicted as 'Colossus' in
the land of the little people (“Gulliver’s Travels” was first western novel translated.)
ƒ Japanese tradition of tales of 'shima mawari' – e.g. 12th c. Minamoto no Yoshitsune
said to have escaped to Mongolia, became Ghengis Khan)
Evolution of an image: Asahina Shima-mawari
ƒ Sugoroku dice game (1860)

ƒ Asahina travels the world

(“shima-mawari” = “island
hopping”)

ƒ Drawing on Bankoku
Jinbutsu Zu tradition (“People
of 10,000 countries”)
Japan’s view of world extended via Portuguese sources
ƒ Bankoku Jinbutsu Zu,
1645

ƒ Japanese copy of map and

depictions of the world's
peoples from Portuguese
sources.
My favorite Japanese map:
ƒ Sugoroku Shima-Mawari: Map of the World (Edo Period, late 19th century)
Saul Steinberg said it all: Only depict what’s important!
ƒ “View of the World from 9th Avenue,” 1975