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Maker(s):Kobayashi Kiyochika; Daikokuya Heikichi, publisher
Culture:Japanese (1847–1915); Japanese (ca. 1820–1910)
Title:The Weak Non-Samurai of the Russian Army [Rohei no yowamushi], from the series "Long Live Japan: One Hundred Choices, One Hundred Laughs" [Nihon Banzai: Hyakusen, Hyakushō]
Date Made:1904
Type:Print
Materials:woodblock print
Place Made:Tokyo
Measurements:overall: 14 5/8 in x 10 in; 37.2 cm x 25.4 cm
Accession Number:  AC 2005.716.2
Credit Line:Gift of William Green
Museum Collection:  Mead Art Museum at Amherst College
2005-716-2.jpg

Description:
vertical ōban; nishiki-e

Label Text:
The title of this print contains a pun that is difficult to translate. However, the word for warrior, "bushi," has here been rendered in a sort of rhyme: "mushi," which translates "non-samurai." "Mu," meaning "nothingness" or "not," has replaced "bu," which means "warrior" or "military," thus creating a witty rhyme that implies a weakness exacerbated by the non-Japanese origins of the soldiers who are easily repelled by the children and their toys. Further, the neologism "mushi," is a homonym for "insect," imparting a further aspect of dehumanization to the image.

Tags:
soldiers; firearms; wars; stories; figures; toys; uniforms; text

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.716.2

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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