Description:
vertical ōban triptych; nishiki-e
Label Text:
This print is signed at lower-left of the left panel; the signature can be read as either "Bihō" or "Yoshikuni." The artist's seal appears in red directly beneath the signature, and appears to be "Hirose." The publisher's inscription can be found printed vertically descending on the left margin of the left panel and identifies the publisher as Matsuki Heikichi, a prominent publisher of Russo-Japanese War prints. The inscription also states the official date of publication as April 4, 1904 (Meiji 37). The triptych also bears the number 44 written in kanji at lower-right of the right panel.
The scene herein depicted is a skirmish outside the "Seven-Star Gate" near Pyongyang, in what is now North Korea. According to the inscription at top-right, the incident involved only six Japanese cavalrymen against "scores" of Russian soldiers. Despite being outnumbered, the battle was a decisive victory for the Japanese. As the text indicates, this clash occurred at 9:00 AM, February 28, 1904, only five days before this print was issued, highlighting the speed with which Japanese publishers were able to issue such pictures from the frontlines.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2001.639.1-.3 |
