『ロシア風俗画』(巻子)に描かれる世界図についての予備的考察

Abstract

“Roshia fuzoku ga” (pictures depicting Russian people and their costumes) (scroll, 20.6 x 939.5 cm, hand-coloring; collection of Library of Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University) is a tentative name. This scroll lacks an original title, preface, postscript, or author or painter’s name. The scroll consists of two parts, the first of which features a world map, followed by 45 pictures depicting Russian people and their costumes. This world map omits the majority of Asia and Oceania. Two dotted lines are drawn with ink and vermilion on the map. Along the dotted lines, there are several notes of distances and waypoints. Areas within the continent are partitioned with different colors, and the names of places are specified. Some pictures have brief caption, such as “Lapland; picture depicting a fisherman”. The combination of a world map and pictures about Russian people differs from the standard composition of ‘bankoku jinbutsu zu (pictures depicting people of various ethnic groups in the world), ’ which were produced in the Edo period. This paper provides a preliminary report focusing on the world map in order to clarify the circumstances and purpose for which this scroll was created. Detailed examination of various literature and historical materials clarifies the following points regarding the scroll and the world map: (1) The figures of “Roshia fuzoku ga” are a hand-drawn replica of the colored copperplate prints in Georgi’s work (1776-1780). They correspond to Nos. 1 to 55 (excluding Nos. 5, 6, 33 to 40) among the figures of Nos. 1 to 95 of the original version. (2) Georgi’s art book of colored copperplate prints depicting Russian people (1776-1780) was first brought to Japan in 1804; it was a gift from the Russian envoy Rezanov, who came to Nagasaki for negotiation on trade and the return of four drifters from Russia to Japan. (3) Rezanov and his team also gifted to Japan four complete maps of Russian Empire made in Russia, and a map printed by Arrowsmith. Additionally, circular- and square-shaped world maps were given by the drifters, who purchased them in Russia. On the square map, one of Russian crews drew the route from Russia to Japan for the drifters. (4) In addition to the drifters’ maps, two types of maps were created to depict the routes of the Russian ship on which Rezanov and others were traveling. The Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office created several route maps and their hand-drawn copies, and the Russian ship captain Kruzenstern created the world map depicting his routes for World Circumnavigation Report. (5) Some of maps created by Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office in September 1804 were based on interviews with the Russian ship’s crew. On those maps, two routes are drawn; the arrival course from Russia to Japan is drawn in black, and the departure course from Japan to Russia is drawn in vermilion. Other maps created by the Office toward the end of March 1805 were based on interviews with the drifters. These maps depict the only arrival course from Russia to Japan. Krusenstern’s Atlas, published in 1813, depicts the actual route they sailed. (6) The sailing routes of the world map of “Roshia fuzoku ga” appear to be much like drawing the arrival and departure routes of Russian ship created by the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office. (7) The base map sets the world map of “Roshia fuzoku ga” apart from other route maps. California is depicted as an island, with areas in the Americas, Africa and Europe divided, color-coded, and named. (8) Very similar to the world map of “Roshia fuzoku ga” are the world maps, which are hand-drawn copies of Jean Boisseau’s world map (c. 1645). Around the end of the 18th century, the Dutch interpreters of Nagasaki were involved in the creation of these drawings. Some of their sons worked as interepreters during Rezanov’s stay in Nagasaki. (9) Boisseau’s world map and their hand-drawn copies depict the world map, combining the eastern and western hemispheres. The world map of “Roshia fuzoku ga” is considered an incomplete copy as it lacks the ecliptic and the circular frames of the spheres. Its size is smaller than that of other reduced copies. The following observations are based on preliminary research at this stage. “Roshia fuzoku ga” is also one of ‘bankoku jinbutsu zu’ created during the Edo period’s isolation system, although it has an irregular composition. Given the close relationship between Rezanov’s arrival and the creation of “Roshia fuzoku ga, ” it is reasonable to assume that this scroll reflects the social situation in Japan at the time. This scroll indicates not only the international tensions surrounding Japan, but also the efforts of Dutch interpreters and scholars in learning about western books and maps. Several questions remain unanswered regarding the background and purpose of the production of “Roshia fuzoku ga”. For example, questions pertaining to the painter who copied the figure, as well as the person who intended to combine a world map and pictures depicting Russian people to make this scroll, are issues for future research.