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Encyclopedia :
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KAN :
Kangnido map |
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Kangnido map
The Kangnido map ("Integrated Historical Map of Countries and Cities"), was made in Korea from Chinese source material in 1402, by Gim Sa-hyeong (김사형:金士衡), Li Mu (이무:李茂) and Li Hoi (이회). The map describes the totality of the Old World, from Europe and Africa in the west, to Korea and Japan in the east, with an oversized China in the middle, at a time preceding the first European voyages of exploration, and even the famous travels by the Chinese Admiral Zheng He, suggesting in-depth geographical knowledge and explorations from a very early date. OriginsChina began to explore the territories to the west from the embassy of Zhang Qian in 126 BCE. Various countries were thus identified, such as K'ang-chü (Sogdiana), Ta-Yuan (in Ferghana), An-shih (파사:pa-sa:Parthia) and Daqin (대진:Daejin:the Roman empire). China also engaged in sea travel, especially following the expansion of Islam on the continent in the 8th century. According to the explanatory notes on the map, it was made by combining two earlier Chinese maps, a map, 聲教廣被圖 by Li Tse-min (李澤民) produced around 1330 and another map, 混一疆理圖 by Ch'ing Chün (清浚) produced around 1370, both maps now lost. These two maps came to Korea through the agency of the Korean ambassador Gim Sa-hyeong (1341-1407), and were combined in 1402 by Li Hoi and Li Mu. Contents, Europe and the Middle East. The map depicts in great detail the Empire of China, as well as Korea and Japan, although relative sizes and positions are not exactly preserved. China and Korea are oversized, and Southeast Asia (with its protruding peninsula and profusion of islands) as well as India are rounded up into the global landmass. In the West, the Arabian peninsula, Africa and Europe are quite clearly delineated, although the continents are shown smaller than their actual size. In particular, the Mediterranean is clearly depicted, as well as the Iberian and Italian peninsulas and the Adriatic. There are over 100 names for the European countries alone, including "Alumangia" for the Latin word Alemania (Germany). The knowledge of the actual contour of Africa indicates early explorations of the area, clearly predating the European explorations of Vasco da Gama. In particular, the southern tip of Africa is quite clearly depicted, as well as a river which may correspond to the Orange River in Southern Africa. To the north of the African continent, beyond the unexplored "black" central mass, a pagoda is represented for the lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Arab word "Misr" for Egypt is transliterated in Chinese. Most of the Chinese transcriptions of place-names in southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe come from Persianized Arabic originals, indicating that the Kangnido may have relied for a large part on knowledge transmitted from the Middle-East. Versions of the mapOnly three copies of the Kangnido map are known, and all of them have been preserved in Japan. Two Kangnido maps were brought to Japan as part of the loot from Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea (1592-1598). The map currently in the Ryūkoku University (Jap: 龍谷大学) was originally given by Hideyoshi to the Honganji temple. Another map, today in the Honmyōji temple, was given by Katō Kiyomasa, also following the Korean campaigns. The third known version of the map is considered to be an adaptation of the Honganji map and is located at Tenri University. See alsoReferencesExternal links
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