17:15 〜 18:30
[HCG10-P02] The Original Landscape of Japan in the early Meiji Era (1876) :
from the Viewpoint of a Russian Geographer, A. I. Voeikov.
キーワード：The Original Landscape, Meiji Era, A. I. Voeikov
This report will introduce the original landscape of Japan in the early Meiji Era (1876), which was described by a Russian geographer and meteorologist, Aleksandr Ivanovich Voeikov.
After the conclusion of the Kanagawa Treaty ("Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity") in 1854, many people began to visit Japan from Europe and America. Voeikov was one of them. He came to Japan in 1876 (Meiji 9) and traveled all over Japan (from Hokkaido to Kyusyu) in only five months. After returning to Russia, Voeikov contributed “Travelogue of Japan” (Puteshestvie po Iaponii) to the Bulletin of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society in 1877.
Talking of “Travelogue of Japan”, it is well-known that Isabella Lucy Bird, an English explorer and writer, described Unbeaten Tracks in Japan in 1880. She came to Japan in 1878 (Meiji 11) and visited the Tohoku, Hokkaido and Kansai regions in seven months. But she didn’t visit South-west Japan.
On the other hand, Voeikov’s “Travelogue” is little known in Japan. An abridged(?) translation was made by Hidetoshi Arakawa, a Japanese famous meteorologist in 1961. But Voeikov observed Japan from many points of view (not only geography, meteorology, but also politics, economy, history, and culture) and in the “Travelogue” he also described many landscapes, which are now lost in the present day.
In this report I will show where Voeikov traveled and what he saw in Japan.
After the conclusion of the Kanagawa Treaty ("Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity") in 1854, many people began to visit Japan from Europe and America. Voeikov was one of them. He came to Japan in 1876 (Meiji 9) and traveled all over Japan (from Hokkaido to Kyusyu) in only five months. After returning to Russia, Voeikov contributed “Travelogue of Japan” (Puteshestvie po Iaponii) to the Bulletin of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society in 1877.
Talking of “Travelogue of Japan”, it is well-known that Isabella Lucy Bird, an English explorer and writer, described Unbeaten Tracks in Japan in 1880. She came to Japan in 1878 (Meiji 11) and visited the Tohoku, Hokkaido and Kansai regions in seven months. But she didn’t visit South-west Japan.
On the other hand, Voeikov’s “Travelogue” is little known in Japan. An abridged(?) translation was made by Hidetoshi Arakawa, a Japanese famous meteorologist in 1961. But Voeikov observed Japan from many points of view (not only geography, meteorology, but also politics, economy, history, and culture) and in the “Travelogue” he also described many landscapes, which are now lost in the present day.
In this report I will show where Voeikov traveled and what he saw in Japan.