01 Work, The Art of War, Chikanobu Yôshû's Japanese Fleet Landing Weiheiwei, with footnotes

Chikanobu Yôshû (1838-1912)

Japanese Fleet Landing Weiheiwei, c. 1895

Series: Sino-Japanese War

Japanese Woodblock Print

ôban triptych, 71.8 x 35.5 cm

Private collection

The Battle of Weihaiwei took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War in Weihai, Shandong Province, China, between the forces of Japan and Qing China. In early January 1895, the Japanese landed forces in eastern Shandong positioning forces behind the Chinese naval base at Weihaiwei.

Through a well-coordinated offensive of both naval and land forces, the Japanese destroyed the forts and sank much of the Chinese fleet. With the Shandong and Liaoning peninsulas under Japanese control, the option for a pincer attack against the Chinese capital, Beijing, was now a possibility. This strategic threat forced the Chinese to sue for peace and led to the war's end in April 1895. The Battle of Weihaiwei

Chikanobu Toyohara (also known as Chikanobu Yoshu) was a leading woodblock print artist of the Meiji Period. Born in Niigata prefecture as Naoyoshi Hashimoto, Chikanobu began his life as the son of samurai in the service of the Sakakibara clan. During the Meiji Restoration, he joined the shogitai, an elite samurai brigade in direct support of the waning Tokugawa Shogunate and fought bravely in the Battle of Ueno in 1868. Though captured in the fray, he was released unharmed. As the Shogunate fell, Chikanobu focused on a career in art.

Though trained in Kano school painting from an early age, Chikanobu shifted his attention to ukiyo-e around 1852. Chikanobu began his woodblock printmaking career under the tutelage of Utagawa School masters Kuniyoshi, Kunisada and Kunichika. Like many of his contemporaries, Chikanobu Toyohara worked as a newspaper illustrator as well as a print artist. By 1871, he had established himself as a leading print artist. He designed across all genres, from kabuki actors and beauties to military exploits of past and present. During the 1870s, Chikanobu captured Meiji Japan’s rapid modernization through kaika-e, or “enlightenment pictures.” Attuned to current events and public taste, he produced designs of both the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, an ill-fated insurrection against the Meiji government, and well as the 1882 Imo Incident in Korea. Chikanobu’s reflected his changing world not only through his subject matter, but also in his materials. Incorporating the purples and reds of imported aniline dyes, he achieved an element of subtlety and sophistication rarely seen in his era. By the 1880s, a wave of national nostalgia for a Japan past prompted designs exploring traditional Japanese culture, values, and heroes. Through explorations of female beauty, Chikanobu Toyohara personified moments in Japanese history through fashion, manners and customs. In 1912, he died of stomach cancer. More on Chikanobu Toyohara

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01 Work, The Art of War, Migita Toshihide's The Fall of Pyongyang, from a series on the Sino-Japanese War, with footnotes

Migita Toshihide (Japanese, 1863–1925)

The Fall of Pyongyang, from a series on the Sino-Japanese War, c. 1894

Set of six woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

 Image (each): 13 1/2 × 9 1/8 in. (34.3 × 23.2 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Amid the smoke of battle, Japanese troops encircle panicked Chinese soldiers in this panoramic view of the conquest of the Korean city of Pyongyang during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894–95). This propagandistic image, aimed at a domestic Japanese audience and saturated with racist overtones, draws a contrast between the Japanese participants’ modern, Western-style uniforms and the traditional attire of the Chinese fighters. In one passage, a Japanese soldier grabs a Chinese counterpart by his braid while raising a sword in his other hand. Countless Korean civilians and tens of thousands of Chinese and Japanese troops lost their lives in the war. More on this painting

Toshihide Migita was born in 1863 in Oita-ken, Shizuoka Province. At the age of 17, he delved into Western-style painting and became a pupil of the esteemed Meiji woodblock artist Yoshitoshi (Taiso) Tsukioka.

Toshihide Migita was prolific both as a painter and a woodblock printmaker, specializing in traditional ukiyo-e style. He gained prominence for his extensive collection of war prints depicting the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars. His war prints, mostly triptychs, are considered among the finest in this genre, paralleling the quality of Kiyochika Kobayashi (1847-1915).

His repertoire extended to actor prints and a limited series of images of beautiful women. Engaging in woodblock printmaking during the late Meiji period, Migita also contributed to kuchi-e illustrations. Additionally, he served as a mentor to numerous Taisho and Showa era artists, including Terukata Gyokudo (Ikeda) (1883-1921), Shoen Ikeda (1886-1917), Kiyokata Kaburagi (1878-1972), and Eiho Hirezaki (1881-1968).

Toshihide Migita passed away in 1925. More on Toshihide Migita

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.