EDITORIALS
An old map of Hakodate from 126 years ago that was forced on us in Germany because we were Japanese.
Iskra-san ( https://twitter.com/DDRplanet ) tweeted about an old map of Hakodate he once bought at a flea market, and received a great reaction.
I was cleaning up and found a map of Hakodate that I was forced to buy because I was Japanese at a flea market in Germany. I found a map of Hakodate that I was forced to buy at a flea market in Germany...
- Iskra Comecon Design, East German East European Goods, Socialist Architecture (@DDRplanet) April 21, 2022
Published September 30, 1896 pic.twitter.com/o3xMEeeni1
The old map was issued on September 30, 1896, a whopping 126 years ago. However, the beautiful flowers on the map's surface give us a glimpse of Hakodate's vibrant life on that day.
Iskra, who purchased the map, has been selling European goods online since 2005. We had a chance to talk to him this time.
--Where did you purchase this map?
At a flea market in eastern Germany in 2011. I go to flea markets in Europe about twice a year, and this is where I bought it.
--What was your actual interaction with the store?
I was looking at other maps and he said, "You must be interested in this one too, right? I usually sell European antiquities ( click here for ISKRA ONLINE SHOP), and I also deal in old maps, so I thought there might be someone who wanted one, and I decided to buy it.
--What is the map you purchased actually like?
It is a city map of Hakodate, a single sheet of map about 55cm x 44cm in size. It was in poor condition, with tears along the folds.
--What did you think of the reaction on Twitter this time?
I tweeted about it when I bought it in 2011, but I didn't get any response at that time, so I kept it at home. The other day, I was reading Golden Kamui, and a train crashed into Hakodate Station and fell into the sea! I remembered that I had a map of Hakodate from that time.
Thank you, Iskra-san!
Now I asked Mr. Satoru Wada, aka "Brasatoru" ( https://twitter.com/satoru_wada ), a town-walking researcher, to take a look at this map to see what it was all about.
This map was published in 1896. It was the year before the Basha Railway, the predecessor of the streetcar line, opened, and six years before the Hakotaru Railway, the predecessor of the JR line, opened. Of course, the Seikan Liaison Boat had not yet arrived. The railroad lines depicted are all planned lines, and Hakodate Station (the first station), the starting point of the Hakodaru Railway, was located in Kaigan-cho, north (in front) of the current station.
The center of the city is today's Seibu district, largely depicted with the Hakodate Ward Office, which was located in Motomachi Park. Later, after the opening of Hakodate Station and repeated fires, the center of the city gradually moved to Jujigai and in front of Hakodate Station.
Interestingly, Goryokaku is not depicted. Goryokaku is now a tourist attraction, but at the time, memories of the Hakodate War were still fresh in people's minds, and perhaps there was a decision not to depict the symbol of the former shogunate forces, which were enemies of the new government. (Tetsu Wada)
(Added on June 1, 2022)
A high-resolution image of the same map is available on the website of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, and Goryokaku is depicted in the lower left corner. In light of the fact that the "Hekihei Monument," a memorial to the dead of the former shogunate forces, is depicted with names at the foot of Mt. Hakodate, my imagination that the Hakodate War and historical sites of the former shogunate forces were taboo was incorrect. I apologize and correct it, and thank those who pointed it out. (Mr. Satoshi Wada)
Looking at the old map again with Mr. Wada's commentary, the situation of Hakodate emerges more clearly. The old map, which we happened to come across at a flea market in Germany, has given us a glimpse of what Hakodate was like more than 100 years ago.
I would like to read it in conjunction with this article!
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