APSIG newsletter no. 58: July 2005

NLA acquisitions news

The national library recently acquired a rare Buddhist world map, Nansenbushu Bankoko Shoka No Zu, produced in Kyoto, ca. 1710. The title translated means: 'Visualised map of all the countries in Jambudvipa.' It is a wallmap of the world in Chinese by Zuda Rokashi, one of the important Japanese Buddhist priests and founder of the Kegonje Temple in Kyoto. The map is a fusion of Buddhist and European cartography based on two untitled manuscript maps of Jambudvipa attributed to Sokaku which appeared in 1698 and 1709 with added texts and embellishments. In the centre of the map is depicted 'Jambu-Dvipa' with the sacred Lake of Anavatapta and the four rivers Ganges, Oxus, Indus and Tarim flowing out.

The National Library is also pleased to announce its new Korean acquisitions list.

The list contains all new Korean books and serials acquired during the month, arranged in classified order and displaying both script and romanised titles.

Amelia McKenzie