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更新日:2016年2月1日

Who is 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 外部サイトへリンク 新規ウインドウで開きます。Kujukuri(外部サイト) in 1745 and grew up in 外部サイトへリンク 新規ウインドウで開きます。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 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.

 "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."

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 外部サイトへリンク 新規ウインドウで開きます。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 外部サイトへリンク 新規ウインドウで開きます。Matsushima(外部サイト) with Michi and wrote down “Travel Journal of Ohshu”. Travel Journal of Ohshu /
Takekoma Shrine /
The Monument Inscribed 外部サイトへリンク 新規ウインドウで開きます。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
▲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

The Object of Quadrant is located behind the museum.

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