The Twelve Kingdoms Forum

On the map of the 12k, Wa is shown as a small circular Island, however, when it is zoomed upon, we see the Island of Japan. What is the rest of land represent? If it were to represent the Earth, shouldn't we see the continents? At first I guessed the people of the 12k were drawing the earth as when it was only made up of a protocontinent... but if that were the case we would NOT be able to see the Island of Japan as shown when we get a close up of Wa.

This leads to my second question.... when Japan is referenced, it is mentioned as if Japan itself is a world of its own for Yokou. "Earth" is never referenced, nor is it shown on the map. So is Japan meant to be a seperate world like the 12k? The map also hints at the fact that Japan is on the same ocean as the 12l, just further east of Kei.

Just some clarification ont his would be nice as the Anime doesnt really explain this and I have no idea if the Novel does as well. People are saying 12k is another dimension... I can accept that but the map and the drawing of Wa do not suggest that 12k and "Earth" are overlapping in some way.

My point of veiw is that japan shape is rond due to the lack of information about it, and china does not even apear because it is a o called mythical place so the same the same could almost be said about the land of the kingdoms

But when the map is zoomed up upon, we clearly see the island of Japan. So not sure why when we see a large overview of a large almost roundish continent.

I would also assume that the people of the 12k would have enough information on Wa... especially the Kirin's seeing as they can travel betwen the two anytime. And why the Kirins only visit Japan and the rest of the Earth us unkown to me... this makes me wonder if Japan is in fact a world of its own. Its highly unlikely that all Taikia who get blown into Wa by the Shoku all land in Japan unless there is in fact no Earth, but Japan only.

Fuyumi Ono suggests that 12 Kingdoms exist somewhere in an alternate reality of it's own. But references to Japan include WWII (and America's involvement), also China. Thus Youko should be quite familiar with modern history and geography.

I think the lonely island of Japan on the map represents the traditional japanese view of their country vs the rest of the world. They have a long history of isolation and it's not very hard for them to believe, that their island IS the world

The Search For Taiki (Again) fans out to China as well as Japan; they know about the other place taika get blown to and kaikyaku come from. Rakushun says they got Buddhism from a sankyaku in Hou, I think. Whether they have any idea of the rest of the world... all they'd know would be from confused Chinese and Japanese immigrants, or what Enki picks up on his visits to Japan.

As for zooming... I'd say round Wa is what the 12K people think of it -- some place over there -- and when the anime zooms in it shows the real Japan. Seems natural to me. Most people in 12K wouldn't know more about Wa than it exists; Kouya thought it was a magical land of plenty. And typical immigrants over the years probably wouldn't know enough for a map. "Well, there are actually multiple islands in Wa. There's a big one northeast of a smaller one... shapes? I don't know, I'm a peasant."