AbstractRestriction landmark genomic scanning (RLGS) was originally proposed as a high‐speed method for surveying a large number of restriction landmarks in genomic DNA. The effort to apply this method to genetic analysis has been made, resulting in developing the new approach for the rapid construction of the genetic map of complex mammalian genomes (RLGS spot mapping). Especially, the use of NotI as the restriction landmark for genetic studies suggests that there is a high probability that a significant number of these RLGS loci will be associated with CpG islands of functional genes. Moreover, it is possible to use the RLGS spot mapping to analyze genetic map‐poor species very rapidly for linkage of recessive mutations or segregating traits, because it does not rely upon cloned probes or sequences. In this paper, we summarize the progress that has been made in the practical application of the RLGS method to genetic analysis using congenic strains, recombinant inbred (RI) strains, and in interspecific backcrosses of mice.