Lieutenant Commander Sakakibara Fighting Bravely to the South of Ximucheng (Takubokujo nan ni oite Sakakibara shosa funsen no zu)
by Adachi Ginkō
- Date:
- 1895
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban triptych
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
by Adachi Ginkō
This 1895 oban triptych, held by the Art Institute of Chicago, depicts Lieutenant Commander Sakakibara in combat south of Ximucheng (Takubokujō) during the closing campaigns of the First Sino-Japanese War. Adachi Ginkō names the officer in the title and centers him in the composition, surrounded by Japanese troops in disciplined formation, with smoke, snow, and the rugged terrain of southern Manchuria established as the setting. The print belongs to the dense second-wave of sensō-e issued in early 1895 as Japanese forces pushed deeper into Chinese territory, and like other works of the genre it served both as visual reportage and as patriotic propaganda for a domestic audience. The triptych is notable for the documentary specificity with which it renders modern military equipment, including bolt-action rifles and field artillery, while retaining the traditional ukiyo-e triptych composition that had been used for centuries to depict mass battle scenes. It is one of several Adachi Ginkō war prints in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection that together illustrate his role as a leading sensō-e designer during the 1894-95 conflict.
1882
Color woodblock print; oban
1894
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
1894
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
1879
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical ōban
Lieutenant Commander Sakakibara Fighting Bravely to the South of Ximucheng (Takubokujo nan ni oite Sakakibara shosa funsen no zu) was created by Adachi Ginkō (安達吟光) in 1895.