mihuneyama

Development of Geography - The Terrestrial Globe

Terrestrial globe

Important Cultural Property
Terrestrial globe
By Valk, Netherlands, dated 1745
The Takeo Nabeshima family archives

         At the end of the 16th century, Christian missionaries spread the knowledge in Japan that the earth is a sphere. Prior to that, Japanese people believed that the earth was flat and contained only India, China and Japan.
         It is assumed that the Terrestrial globe first appeared in Japan at the end of the 16th century. The Terrestrial globe in Takeo from that time features an imaginary continent in the Northern Pacific Ocean and large gray areas where Northern Japan and Australia should be. This globe is a precious example of a terrestrial and celestial globe paired together.
 

 PREVIOUS      INDEX      NEXT 
 

map of hizen
 
 
 TOP 
 
Copyright (C) Takeo City Library&Historical Museum