Buddhist Map of the World: ‘Outline Map of All Countries of the Universe

A monumental early 18th Century Japanese map of the World, focusing on the continent of ‘Jambudvīpa’ and centred on the heart of Buddhist cosmology, Lake Manasarovar, Tibet, where Buddha was conceived.

This grand and beautiful work is the earliest Japanese map to embrace the entire world and represents a fascinating synergy of Buddhist cosmology and knowledge gained from a variety of Asian and European sources. The portrayal of India is central to the composition in light of the prominent role that the subcontinent played in the religious life of Asia, as the birthplace of Buddhism and the location of many of the greatest destinations for pilgrimage. The map was devised by the Japanese Buddhist priest Zuda Rokashi and printed in Kyoto in 1710 (‘Hoei 7’ in Japanese dating).

The traditional Buddhist perspective of the world focuses on the metaphysical continent of Jambudvīpa. In the centre of the continent is the mythical Lake Anavatapta, which represents the actual Lake Manasarovar in Tibet. It marks the centre of the Buddhist universe, as the location where Queen Maya conceived Buddha. Lake Manasarovar and its waters are also revered by Hindus and Jains. Flowing from the lake are four great sacred rivers of the Indian Subcontinent: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Indus, and the Sutlej.

While the map showcases the entire world as known to Zuda Rokashi, it depicts various geographic details in a manner radically different from their true geographic scale. The map was intended to emphasize the importance of regions that were traditionally central to Buddhism, such as India and China, at the expense of Europe, Africa and the Americas, which appear as small islands along the periphery.