Hurrah! Hurrah! For the Great Japanese Empire! Picture of the Assault on Songhwan, A Great Victory for our Troops

Artist Mizuno Toshikata (Japanese, 1866–1905)

DateAugust 1894

Mediumwoodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

DimensionsOban Triptych: 37.3 × 75 cm (14 11/16 × 29 1/2 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineAlexander H. Bullock Fund

Terms

Object number1998.102

Label TextFollowed with interest in newspapers and weekly magazines throughout Japan and the world, the Sino-Japanese War introduced a new occupation in Japan—war correspondent. This print documents the new phenomenon and identifies those who accompanied the army in the assault on Chinese troops in Songhwan, Korea on July 29, 1894, before the formal declaration of war. The figures on the right are simply classified as "newspaper correspondents" (sho-shimbunsha tokuhain), but those on the left are identified by name—"artist Kinsen" (gahaku Kinsen-kun) and "artist Beisen" (gahaku Beisen-kun). Kubota Beisen (1852-1906), wearing the white pith helmet, was a well-known Kyoto painter. The most important Japanese reporter at the front, he sent eyewitness reports and illustrations that are a primary source of information on the battles. His son Kinsen (1875-1954) was a correspondent during both the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars.ProvenanceIsrael Goldman, P.O. Box 584, London, NW3 1EQ England

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