The 16th century was a period of great exploration. Ships from many European nations sailed to parts of the world that were hardly known in their home countries. On these voyages the sailors often had no maps at all or only very sketchy ones to guide them. One of the most precious things they brought back, were the maps they made and the detail they had added to the existing ones.

It is very easy to take accurate maps for granted today but this collection of Japanese maps shows how knowledge of this important part of the world was still uncertain during this period. The dangers of voyaging to unknown parts of the world with no or very limited maps are difficult to appreciate in the 21st century.