Tenmon Bun’ya no zu (map showing divisions of the heavens and regions they govern)

Japanese star map

This star map was made by Harumi Shibukawa, official astronomer to the Japanese Edo court. He was one of the first people to use a telescope in Japan after the instrument was introduced by European traders. The map combines Shibukawa’s systematic observations with concepts from Chinese astrology, so that the stars could be used to predict events in different regions of Japan.