Japanese map symbol for a mulberry field

A branching stroke marking mulberry cultivation.

Also known as: Kuwabatake mark, Silk mulberry mark

In Japanese:: 桑畑
In Japanese (Latin):: kuwabatake

Historical & archaeologicalMaps & navigationStandard profile

Meanings

Denotes a mulberry field on a Japanese topographic map, a symbol retired in 2013 as sericulture declined.

Historically documentedVerified fact
Marked a mulberry field grown to feed silkworms on GSI topographic sheets until 2013.
Contexts: Maps
Historically documentedVerified fact
Was withdrawn when sericulture had declined to the point that the symbol appeared on almost no sheet, so its removal records an industry's disappearance from the landscape.
Contexts: Maps

Visual description

A short upright stroke splitting into two at the top, the fork suggesting a pruned mulberry stump.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Map symbols used on Japanese topographic maps
Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) · retrieved 2026-08-23
Japan's national mapping agency's own published legend. Cited for the form and meaning of a symbol on Japanese topographic maps; the historical origin of individual symbols is cited separately where claimed.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26

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Japanese topographic map symbols

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Meanings

Denotes a mulberry field on a Japanese topographic map, a symbol retired in 2013 as sericulture declined.

Historically documentedVerified fact

Marked a mulberry field grown to feed silkworms on GSI topographic sheets until 2013.

Contexts: Maps

Historically documentedVerified fact

Was withdrawn when sericulture had declined to the point that the symbol appeared on almost no sheet, so its removal records an industry's disappearance from the landscape.

Contexts: Maps

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Map symbols used on Japanese topographic maps
Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) · retrieved 2026-08-23
Japan's national mapping agency's own published legend. Cited for the form and meaning of a symbol on Japanese topographic maps; the historical origin of individual symbols is cited separately where claimed.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26