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更新日：2016年2月1日
Who is Inoh Tadataka?
▲ Old Inoh Tadataka
He was a surveyor and a cartographer known, particularly, for having completed the first map of Japan by conducting actual surveys in the 18th century.
He was born in 
Kujukuri（外部サイト） in 1745 and grew up in Yokoshibahikari（外部サイト） in Chiba Prefecture. At the age of 17, he married into the Inoh Family in Sawara Village and succeeded to the headship of the family. He was very active in public duties as the headman and the guardian of village officials, as well as in his family business.
At 50, he transferred the family headship to his son and retired from both business and public duties. He then left for Edo (present-day Tokyo) by naming himself “Kageyu.”
Between his 55th and 71st years (1800–1816), he led ten actual surveys, which covered all parts of Japan.
The maps he created based on those surveys received praise in Europe for their high levels of accuracy. In addition, his maps served as the basic geographic data even throughout and after the Meiji era (1868–1912).
The Former Residence
▲ The Former Residence in Sawara
The Inoh Family had held the position of the village headman for generations and had been the dominant family.
The retail premises, front gate, study room, and storehouse in the former residence have been designated as National Historical Relic Sites since April 25, 1930.
In addition, a part of the agricultural canal made in the Edo period (1603–1868) remains within the former residence. Water from a built-in gutter of a bridge in front of the former residence gushed into the Onogawa River, making sounds similar to “jar-jar” (a Japanese onomatopoetic word for gushing water). Since then, the bridge has thus been called the Jar-Jar Bridge, where water is controlled to gush out every 30 minutes.
▲The Monument of the Family Precepts
"First, never lie or do wrong to others, and stay honest to everybody. Demonstrate filial piety and obedience to your parents. Be loyal and sincere to your siblings.
Second, consider the opinions of not only your elders and betters, but also those of the younger ones and your inferiors and adopt the reasonable ideas.
Third, behave with cordial respect for others. Choose the modest language and never get in conflict with others."
▲Storehouse
With the inscription of repair work of 1821, this storehouse with thick mortar walls is the oldest in existence in Sawara. This structure adopted a mortar sliding door. However, this design was later on replaced with a double-door design.
Timeline
| Year | Age | Event | Related Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1745 | 0 | Born in present-day Koseki of Kujukuri Town in Chiba Prefecture. His childhood name was Sanjiro. | The Birthplace Commemorative Monument / The Surveys Commemorative Park |
| 1751 | 6 | His mother deceased. His father, Sadatsune left for his original family home with his children except Tadataka. | |
| 1755 | 10 | Joined to his father’s original family home, the Jimbo family in Kozutsumi, Yokoshibahikari Town, Chiba Prefecture. | The Growth Commemorative Monument |
| Youth | He studied medicine under an unknown doctor in Tsuchiura（外部サイト）.There is no specified record for this period. |
||
| 1762 | 17 | Became the heir of the Inoh Family and married Michi. He announced himself as Tadataka. | The Former Residence |
| 1769 | 24 | Conflict in the Sawara Festival occurred. | Yasaka Shrine |
| 1772 | 27 | Sawara Village Riverside Case Arose. | Sawara Village Riverside Case (Historical Material) |
| 1778 | 33 | Travelled to Matsushima（外部サイト） with Michi and wrote down “Travel Journal of Ohshu”. |
Travel Journal of Ohshu / Takekoma Shrine / The Monument Inscribed Matsuo Basho’s haiku（外部サイト） |
| 1781 | 36 | Became the headman of Honjuku Unit of Sawara Village. | |
| 1784 | 39 | Resigned his post as the headman and became the guardian of officials of the village. | |
| 1791 | 46 | Wrote down the family precepts. | The Family Precepts |
| 1793 | 48 | Travelled to Kansai region and wrote “Travelogue” | Travelogue |
| 1794 | 49 | Retired. The headship of the family was transferred to his son, Kagetaka and he announced himself as Kageyu. | |
| 1795 | 50 | Started to live in Kuroe Town, Fukagawa in Edo and became a disciple of Takahashi Yoshitoki. | The Monument of the Former Residence Site in Fukagawa |
| 1800 | 55 | Survey #1: Tohoku / Southern Hokkaido | The Relief at Mt. Hakodate / Survey Rout / The Monument of the Easternmost Point in Nishibetsu |
| 1801 | 56 | Survey #2: Kanto / Eastern Tohoku | The Observation of the Polar Star Commemorative Monument in Kujukuri Town / The Constellation Stone / Survey Rout |
| 1802 | 57 | Survey #3: Western Tohoku | Kisagata / Survey Rout |
| 1803 | 58 | Survey #4: Tokai / Hokuriku | Survey Rout |
| 1804 | 59 | Submitted the Map of Eastern Japan to the government and was shown to the Shogun Tokugawa Ienari. From then on, he became a Shogunate official. | |
| 1805-06 | 60-61 | Survey #5: Kinai / Chugoku | Survey Rout |
| 1808-09 | 63-64 | Survey #6: Shikoku | Survey Rout |
| 1809-11 | 64-66 | Survey #7: Kyushu Part 1 | Survey Rout |
| 1811-14 | 66-69 | Survey #8: Kyushu Part 2 | The Tomb of Mr. Sadahei Sakabe / Survey Rout / The Monument in Yakushima |
| 1814 | 69 | Moved to Kameshima Town, Hacchobori in Edo. | The Former Residence Site in Kayabacho |
| 1815-16 | 70-71 | Survey #9: Izu Islands (He did not attend.) | |
| 1816 | 71 | Survey #10: Edo | The Takanawa Main Gate Site |
| 1818 | 73 | Deceased. | The The Tomb in Genkuji Temple in Ueno, Tokyo / The Tomb in Kampukuji-Temple in Katori City |
| 1821 | "The Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu" or "the Map of the Japanese Coastal Areas" (214 sheets of the large scale, 8 sheets of the medium scale and 3 sheets of small scale) and "the Record of Survey Results Throughout Japan" (14 rolls) were completed. |
The Monuments in Katori City
▲The Bronze Statue in the Sawara Park
Fully bloomed cherry blossoms in the park attract visitors in spring.
On a 5.5 m high base, the statue stands 3.3 m tall, depicting Inoh Tadataka surveying. The statue was created by Mr. Ujihiro Okuma, a pioneer of modern sculpture in Japan, and donated by volunteers in Sawara in 1919.
▲The Object of Quadrant
The Object of Quadrant is located behind the museum.