Object number2008.19.44

The Eighth Naval Battle of Port Arthur (Lushunkou): The Picture of Russian Vice Admiral
Makarov’s Heroic Death

Date1894

Artist Toshimitsu (Japanese, active 1877-1904)

CultureJapanese

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

DimensionsSheet (oban tate-e triptych): 13 3/4 x 9 1/16 in. (35 x 23 cm)
Sheet: 13 3/4 x 18 3/16 in. (35 x 46.2 cm)
Overall: 13 3/4 x 27 3/8 in. (35 x 69.5 cm)

Credit LineGift of Frances Beatty Adler, class of 1970, and Allen Adler

Period19th c (Meiji period)

Classification(s)

SignedSigned: Oju Toshimitsu; (sealed: one artist’s seal)

Vassar Exhibitions

Bunmei Kaika: Political Landscape in Early Modern and Modern Japan

Label TextDuring the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Russia and Japan fought a war over China and the Korean peninsula. Depictions of the Port Arthur Campaign, which began the war, provided consumers with elaborate and dramatic compositions, while also serving as propagandic news media. These prints honor heroic feats of the Imperial Japanese Navy, while reflecting Japan’s view of Russia as it attempted to position itself in conversation with other imperial powers. Each report was well circulated through Japanese and, at times, English media outlets. Shinsai Toshimitsu’s The Eighth Naval Battle of Port Arthur (Lushunkou): The Picture of Russian Vice Admiral Makarov’s Heroic Death heroically poses his subjects on his sinking ship. Murakov stands unperturbed by the wreckage, fallen officers, and fire after his ship was struck by a Japanese mine.

Terms

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu