August '09 Sponsored Mapping Challenge - Create a City Map of Oten-jo, for Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting.
Sponsor: "Gamerprinter", Gamer Printshop & Dementia 5 Publishing House
Challenge: Create a City Map of approx. 3500 people, which is roughly 500 homes, 100 shops, 3 temples, 1 shrine park, 1 castle within city walls, wharfage on the west bank of a river.
You are free to choose your own style, use any software, even hand-drawn work.
References: 3 sets of images offer views found in feudal Japanese cities, please review all of them as each shows a different aspect of a city. Note the closeness of buildings and the narrow streets, alleys often have small gates limiting access.
http://www.gamer-printshop.com/kaida...-resource1.jpg
http://www.gamer-printshop.com/kaida...-resource2.jpg
http://www.gamer-printshop.com/kaida...-resource3.jpg
Tanaka's challenge (mentioned in the reference material):
http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=5434
Although as the Nagasaki map shows Japanese systems use a grid format for street layout, but also castle towns are a bit maze like to prevent direct access to the castle from the city gate.