Japanese Imperial Maps as Sources for East Asian History: A Symposium on the History and Future of the Gaihozu

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR KOBAYASHI SHIGERU

Stanford University owns a large but uncatalogued set of Japanese colonial surveys (gaihōzu), mostly from the 1930s and 40s, including detailed topographical maps of the entire empire as well as thematic maps for Manchuria. While similar materials also exist in other collections (the Library of Congress, as well as more than a dozen other institutions in the US, Taiwan, & Japan), these maps have mostly lain outside of the purview of colonial historians until now. This symposium will examine the utility of these colonial maps as tools for historical research. Our presenters represent a diverse, international group of scholars who are interested in reconstructing past landscapes—whether urban or rural—and analyzing colonial development priorities and practices by using cartographic documents as a resource.

Co-operating Libraries at Stanford: The Branner Earth Sciences Library & Map Collections, East Asia Library, Hoover Archives