Maps of Korea and Their Borders Published During the Meiji Era Japan

This study categorizes and analyzes the characteristics of maps depicting Korea published during the Meiji era, focusing on the representation of borders. Approximately 100 such maps were published during this period, with publication peaks coinciding with significant events in Japan-Korea relations, such as the Unyō Incident, the Imo Mutiny, the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. The maps of Korea published in Japan during this era can be classified into five types based on their border representations. Type A maps, which include the Manchurian region south of the Heilong (Amur) River, were only published before the Unyō Incident. Type B maps, incorporating neutral zones on the opposite shores of the Yalu and Tumen Rivers, were published only until the Sino-Japanese War. Both A and B type maps reflect an extended territorial perception of Korea north of the Yalu and Tumen Rivers. Type C maps, depicting the Yalu River, Mount Baekdu, and the Tumen River as borders, became the predominant representation of Korea during the Meiji era. These maps reflected more accurate topographical information from late Joseon period maps adopted by Japan. Type D maps, which exclude Mount Baekdu, were published from immediately after the Imo Mutiny until shortly after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War. They were frequently used in Northeast Asian maps to represent Korea. Type E maps, including Gando 間島 as Korean territory, began to appear in 1894 and were published intensively during the Russo-Japanese War period, continuing until 1910. The concentrated publication of these maps around the Russo-Japanese War reflects Japan’s growing interest in Gando as it aimed to advance into Manchuria. The surge in demand for maps of Korea followed the rise of Seikanron (the “Conquest of Korea” debates) after the Meiji Restoration. Initially, due to insufficient geographical data from direct surveys, Japan had to rely on re-edited versions of previously collected historical Korean maps. As Japan conducted more direct surveys of Korea, their understanding of Korean borders became clearer, particularly around the time of the Sino-Japanese War.