Mission du Japon central.

Important missionary map showing the northern part of Honshu, including Tokyo and Hokkaido. In upper left inset of Kuriles Islands.
Prepared by Adrien Launay, who was a French Missionary and later chronicler of the history of the French Missions in Indo-China at end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Centuries. His work became a primary reference for many future historians.
From "Atlas des Missions de la Société des Missions-Etrangères", published in Lille by Société de Saint Augustin Desclée de Brouwer et Cie. Scale 1:574.000.

Adrien Launay entered the Seminary of the Paris "Missions étrangères" in 1874.
He left for Cochinchina on April 5 of the same year. In 1879, he was responsible for the district Cai-de and Cai-thia. After he went ill he stayed some time in Hong Kong and was obliged in 1882 to return to France.

Father Launay requested to resign the mission in 1884, but this was denied.
Ten years later he published "Table analytique" in 12 volumes and "Table alphabétique" in 4 volumes.
In parallel with this work, he wrote many books on the history of the Société des Missions étrangères, general history and various special missions.
It also published the "Atlas des Missions de la Société des Missions-Etrangères".

He went to India in 1896, then made ??a trip to China in 1898. He returned to France in 1899, and then resumed his work. He continues to publish many books. He left the seminary in Paris in December 1926. He died April 21, 1927.

The Société des Missions Étrangères de Paris (Society of Foreign Missions of Paris) was established between 1658-1663 when the Jesuit Father Alexandre de Rhodes, back from Vietnam and asking for the dispatch of numerous missionaries to the Far East.
In the 350 years since its foundation, the institution has sent more than 4.200 missionary priests to Asia and North America, with the mission of adapting to local customs, establishing a native clergy, and keeping close contacts with Rome.