Japanese world map--Zuda Rōkashi 浪華子 [Sōshun or Hōtan]

SECOND STATE, large woodblock map printed on multiple sheets (overall size approximately 1185 x 1405mm.), sea hand-coloured in blue, laid down on old paper, without original cover, minor wear, staining, loss and restoration mostly along folds 

IMCOS journal issue 145, Summer 2016, pp. 35-44 by Toshikazu Kaida

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

VERY RARE. THE FIRST JAPANESE PRINTED MAP OF THE BUDDHIST WORLD. This non-surveyed map shows the world through a Buddhist cosmographical perspective. India, China and Japan are overly prominent, while Europe, America and Africa are negligible.

"Lake Anavatapta.. lies in the centre of the of the continent. The sources of Here converge, in a whirlpool formation, the sources of the rivers Ganges, Indus, Oxus, and Tarim, on the map represented as four animal faces. The Jambūdv̄pa world (the terrestrial world we occupy) is one of four small islands in the seven concentric seas that surround the sacred mountain Meru which according to Buddhist cosmology, is the centre of the universe. The word Jambūdv̄pa derives its name from dvipa, means island and Jambu, a large slow-growing tree with black berries and a variety of medicinal properties. The shape of the island is shield-like, wider in the north and narrower in the south, akin to the shape of the Indian subcontinent. The shape of the NBS [map] reflects that of Jambūdv̄pa" (IMCOS, Kaida).

THE RARE SECOND STATE. According to Toshikazu Kaida, only five copies have been recorded, including one copy at the East Asia Library, University of Washington, and two copies that have come on the market in the past five years.

The second state is determined by the following factors: "The lower border is cut by one character width, and a character space has been added at the beginning of the explanation in the lower right and the last Chinese character of every line has been removed from the top of the next line... The end of the last line in the lower-left is altered from「宇平重撅板」to「宇平蔵版, meaning that Bundaiken Uhei possesses the woodblocks" (IMCOS, Kaida).