The fire insurance maps of Sakhalin, Taiwan and Asahikawa owned by the Hibiya Library & museum

Abstract

The existence of the fire insurance maps for the area under the Japanese mandate before World War II had not been previously confirmed. However the fire insurance maps for Karafuto (Sakhalin), Taiwan and Asahikawa, Hokkaido, before World War II were newly discovered at the Chiyoda City's Hibiya Library & Museum. In addition, these over 380 maps were scanned and digitalized, to compare with various other similar maps in order to identify the characteristics of these fire insurance maps. These fire insurance maps contribute to our deep understanding of the urban history for these areas and cities.