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Cultural Papermaps: Japan

Cultural Papermaps is a mod which seeks to add multiple original papermaps following the vanilla style, based around specific regions or cultures. Eventually the mod will include multiple of these themed maps, however it only includes the map for Japan so far.

Cultural Papermaps: Japan adds a new original map design inspired by authentic 19th century Japanese maps of the world, while adhering to the vanilla papermap style. It includes Ukiyo-e prints from various artists including Hokusai, Hiroshige, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, and Utagawa Yoshitora, amongst others, as well as a recreated zodiac compass from a historical map.

All writing on the map is in Japanese, intended to be read either right-to-left, or top-down, with as much as possible written copying historical maps and thus potentially with antiquated characters/methods for added authenticity (However in some cases modern names were also used). For the rulers/map extensions, I chose to centre the longitudinal degrees on Japan, with the meridian at Tokyo representing 0 degrees; each degree is written in Japanese characters sideways - based on another historical map, and to preserve space.

Overall the map has a greenish sepia tone with occasional splashes of desaturated colour so as to create a historical feel while again taking inspiration from reference maps. Instead of vanilla's baroque style floral prints, most of the background of the map has faded ink illustrations of tree branches, referencing the background of a number of Ukiyo-e prints.

Currently CP: Japan uses the same overlay (the bit that adds mountains and rivers) as the VOTP French map, however I hope to update it with an original overlay in future. For now I'm struggling to do the rest of the map justice and I think the VOTP suits it quite well for the time being.