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Ino Tadataka, sawara, katori city, japan. Photo by Katorisi.

Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Ino Tadataka

Ino Tadataka was a Japanese surveyor and cartographer. A cartographer is a person who studies and practices how to make and use maps. This man-made the first map using modern surveying techniques. The combination of his two professions was a huge advantage to the achievements of Ino Tadataka.

He was born on 11^th February 1745 and died on 17^th May 1818. Ino was born in Ozeki village in the middle of Kujukuri beach in Chia Prefecture. He was from the Jimbo family. Despite having unfortunate circumstances during his childhood, Ino emerged triumphant. He is a remembered legend in Japan.

Ino Tadataka is considered to be one of the fathers of modern Japan. He surveyed the entire coastline of Japan for 17 years. He thereafter made the first surveyed map of Japan. His rare maps have a huge value in Japan. Let us look into the top 10 astonishing facts about Ino Tadataka.

1. His mother died when he was seven

Grave of Ino Tadataka at Kampuku-ji temple in Katori City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Tam0031.

Ino Tadataka was born to the Jimbo family in the village of Ozeki. His childhood name was Sanjiro. Ino鈥檚 dad was called Jinpo Rizeamon Sadatsune. At the age of seven, Ino鈥檚 mother died. This was in 1751. After her death, Ino鈥檚 father and his stepmother could not support him. He ended up staying with various relatives.

2. He surveyed the entire coastline of Japan for 17 years

Ino Tadataka traveled the length and breadth of Jpan on foot for 117 years. He began at the age of 55 years. His maps were very accurate because he combined the measurements on the ground with the observations of the heavens. He was the first surveyor in Japan to do this.

He started this work privately but ended up earning the confidence of the Shogunate. The shogunate turned it into a national project. The maps were depicted in faint greens, blues, and other colors. They were the first of a kind. His maps were used as the foundation for maps made by modern survey techniques.

3. The house he lived in still exists

It is located on the bank of the Ono River which flows through the city of Katori. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1930. The house was constructed during the Edo period.

It consists of a gate, main building, attached kitchen, library, and a warehouse. The buildings are tiled. The structure was completed in 1793 when Ino was 48 years old.

4. He married a girl who was 4 years older than him

Memorial stamp of Ino Tadataka. Photo by Katsujiro Aoki.

In 1762, Ino Tadataka married the daughter of a wealthy landowner and brewer called Ino. The lady he married was four years older than her. Because he had no sons, Ino the father-in-law adopted Tadataka. Tadataka thereby took his name Ino.

Tadataka worked as a businessman and manager of Ino. He managed the brewery well buying and selling grains as well as setting up firewood warehouses in Tokyo. His wife died in 1784 and Tadataka remarried in 1790.

5. Tadataka studied astronomy

Tadataka resigned from his father-in-law’s company in 1794. In 1795, he left for Edo where he studied astronomy under Takahashi Yoshitoki. Takahashi Yoshitoki was an official astronomer. At this point, he was around 50 years old.

From then up until the age of 73, Tadataki worked in astronomical surveying. Takahashi was the student of Asada Goryu founder of Asada Schol the most prominent astronomy school in Japan.

6. The map created by Ino was treated as a top secret by the Japanese government

Ino Tadataka early Japanese atlas of exceptional rarity, beauty and importance. Photo by Geographicus Rare. .

In 1826, German historian Philipp franz von Siebold visited Edo. The son of Takahashi, Takahashi Kageyasu an official astronomer gave Ino鈥檚 map of Japan to Siebold in exchange for his maps and books. Knowledge of this transaction reached the government in 1828.

Siebold was about to leave Japan. Takahashi Kageyasu was arrested and he eventually died in prison. Siebold was subsequently deported. The map was of importance because the layout could be used by terrorists against Japan. However, he managed to smuggle out a copy.

7. Ino鈥檚 map was of huge importance to the Japanese government

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan was keen to build a modern nation. An accurate map of Japan became a necessity for foreign trade and prestige purposes. All the Japanese maps produced during the 1870s and 1880s by government departments and the military were based on Ino鈥檚 pioneering map.

This proves how big of a deal Ino鈥檚 map was. It was even given to the British government when they asked to survey the coastlines. This is because xenophobia was high in Japan. The British found the amp accurate and sufficient.

8. Some of his maps had errors

Ino Tadataka utilized astronomy in making maps. Ino had little understanding of astronomical theories which affected the accuracy of his maps. For instance, he considered the earth as a perfect sphere rather than a spheroid in calculating the length of the meridian.

Further, in observing the positions of fixed stars, he did not take into account the effects of refraction, parallax, or nutation. He used methods that were suitable for small areas in an area as large as Japan. Despite his scientific failings, however, his map of Japan holds an important place in geographical history.

9. His astronomical method of map-making was a new invention

Traditionally, the scientific method of mapmaking and surveying used in Japan had been using planes to survey. This had been adopted from China and was used for measuring fields.

Astronomical observation had been restricted to city planning. Mapmaking was necessary for military purposes of measuring terrain and laying out fortresses. Hence Ino鈥檚 maps were superior to the previous maps.

10. There is a museum dedicated to Ino Tadataka

Museum of Ino Tadataka in Sawara. Photo by 銇濄倝銇裤伩 . .

The Ino Tadataka Memorial Hall is a museum that showcases the achievements of Ino Tadataka. It is located south of JR Sawara Station on Prefectural Road. The memorial is divided into periods that depict his life until he was 50 years old.

It also features aspects of his life like his character and displays articles like his journal.