Japanese Print "In the Battle of Nanshan Lieutenant Shibakawa Matasaburo Led His Men Holding up a Rising Sun War Fan" by Getsuzo Japanese
Artist:Getsuzo Japanese
Title:In the Battle of Nanshan Lieutenant Shibakawa Matasaburo Led His Men Holding up a Rising Sun War Fan
Date:1904
Details:More information...
Source:Worcester Art Museum
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Description:
One of the heroes at the Battle of Nanshan was Lieutenant Shibakawa Matasaburo. Although he was a brilliant law student from a wealthy Osaka family, the strong-principled Matasaburo did not try to avoid his militatry duty. He fought bravely in the vanguard, leading his men by holding high a military fan decorated with the nationalistic emblem of the rising sun. Betty Swinton-After fierce fighting that lasted throughout the day of May 26, 1904, the Japanese finally occupied Nanshan's fort. It was an undeniable victory but one with a high price - 4,387 Japanese casualties. This design focuses on the heroism of a single individual depicted in a style derived from the war prints of Yoshitoshi and his followers. Unlike traditional compositional schemes, however, the action moves from left to right in the Western manner.
