Why did Western Maps Show Ulleungdo as Japanese?

Japan essentially gave up its claim on Ulleungdo in the 1690s, so why did Western maps in the 1800s show Ulleungdo as Japanese territory? Look at the following maps from the David Rumsey Map Collection and notice the color of the islands:

1847 - Benedetto Marzolla; Society for the Diffussion of Useful knowledge; John Arrowsmith


Notice that the above map shows Argonaut and Dagelet painted in the same pink color as Japan. Argonaut did not exist because it was a mismapping of Ulleungdo, and Dagelet was the real Ulleungdo, which Japan had conceded to Korea in the 1690s. Liancourt Rocks does not appear on the map. So why was Argonaut and Dagelet shown as Japanese territory if Japan had given up its claim on Ulleungdo?

Argonaut and Dagelet may have been mapped as Japanese territory because Korea's Ulleungdo and Usando were already represented on the map at a different place?

The two islands just next to the Korean coast labeled as "Fan-ling-tao" and "Tchian-shan-tao" were the Chinese pronunciations for "Ulleungdo" and "Usando" (千山島 - 천산도). Notice that "Tchian-shan-tao" (Usando) is the to west of "Fan-ling-tao" (Ulleungdo), which was also how the two islands were mapped on early (pre-An-Yong-bok) Korean maps. Maybe the mapmakers assumed that since "Fan-ling-tao" and "Tchian-shan-tao" accounted for Korea's territory then any other islands in the sea of Japan were Japanese?

By the way, notice on the Korean peninsula the words "Impero Chinese," which seems to be claiming that Korea was part of the Chinese empire.

1875 - Adolf Stieler


The above 1875 map show "Matsu sima" (Ulleungdo) and Liancount Rocks to be Japanese territory. Ulleungdo was not only colored in the same blue color as Japan, but there was also a line drawn separating Ulleungdo from Korea. If Japan had recognized Ulleungdo to be Korean territory, then why did the mapmaker show it to be Japanese?

I think the Mapmaker may have shown Ulleungdo to be Japanese because he had heard that "Matsushima" was Japanese territory and did not realize that it was used to refer to Liancourt Rocks whether than Ulleungdo. Also, there was a Japanese marker on Ulleungdo dated 1869 that claimed the island was called "Matsushima" and was Japanese territory. This misunderstanding was most likely caused by the mismapping of Ulleungdo as "Argonaut." Japanese must have assumed that Argonaut was Ulleungdo (Takeshima) and that the island east of Argonaut was their Matsushima (Liancourt Rocks).

1881 - Richard Andree


Notice that the above 1881 map also shows "Matsu" (Ulleungdo) as Japanese territory since it is colored in the same yellow color as Japan. The map also shows Liancourt Rocks. Again, the mapmaker may have assumed that since the island was called "Matsushima," it was Japanese territory.

1895 - Richard Andree; Times - London, England


The above 1895 map also shows a smudge of pink on Matsushima (Ullleungdo), which again shows it to be Japanese territory. The map also shows Liancourt Rocks. As mentioned above, the mapmaker may have assumed that Ulleungdo was Japanese territory based on the name "Matsushima," which he must have known to be Japanese.

1897 - Rand McNally and Company (1)


The above 1897 map shows both Matushima (Ulleungdo) and Liancourt Rocks to be Japanese territory since they are marked in yellow. Though you may not see the yellow marked on Liancourt Rocks on the above map, you can see it marked on the following map, which was part of the same map.

1897 - Rand McNally and Company (2)


As the above maps show, many Westerners in the 1800s, for whatever reason, believed Matsushima (Ulleungdo) and Liancourt Rocks to be Japanese territory. For example, in an 1876 letter, HERE, arguing for the development of "Matsushima," Japanese businessman Mutoh Heigaku (武藤平学) quoted an American staying in Vladivostok as saying the following:

“There is an island that belongs to Japan called Matsushima, which Japan has not started developing yet.”

For whatever reason, many Westerners believed that "Matsushima" was Japanese, and I think it was mainly because of the mismapped Ulleungdo (Argonaut), which caused Japanese and others to assume that the real Ulleungdo was Japan's "Matsushima" since it was southeast of the mismapped Ulleungdo. These maps are evidence that the Japanese and others associated the name "Matsushima" to Japanese territory, which suggests that the original Matsushima (Liancourt Rocks) was Japanese.

P.S. If you look HERE, you can see what the 1873 edition of the Bristish publication "China Sea Directory" said about Liancourt Rocks and Ulleungdo.