万国人物図〔四十二国人物図説 享保5年〕 / Illustration book of People from Around the World (Forty-two Countries, 1720)

Completed in 1720, this is an illustrated reference book on foreign customs by Enbaiken (also known as Joken) Nishikawa, an astronomer and geographer during the Edo period. It introduces forty-two countries and its people. Illustrations of Ryukyuans at the time can be seen in the section titled “Ryukyu.” There is a brief explanation of Ryukyu geography starting with the sentence “Ryukyu is an island nation in the middle of the southern sea and was called ‘Ryūgū’ in ancient times.” Nishikawa also includes a description of Ryukyu in his book titled Zōhō kaitsūshōkō (1708)—the first full-scale world geography book in the Edo period—citing bashōfu (textile) and brown sugar as local products.