「憲兵大尉有馬亮」

This print portrays Military Police Captain Arima Ryo (有馬亮), likely produced as part of Kiyochika's extensive output of Sino-Japanese War reportage prints published between 1894 and 1895. Kenpei (military police) officers occupied a distinctive role in Meiji military organization, and the title's specificity suggests this is an individual portrait rather than a generic troop composition. Kiyochika's war print series brought nishiki-e techniques into the domain of battlefield journalism, combining dramatic action or heroic portraiture with his Western-influenced treatment of light. The figure would probably be rendered in military uniform, positioned to convey authority, with Kiyochika's characteristic use of strong contour lines anchoring the figure against a more atmospheric background. Such portrait prints served both commemorative and propagandistic functions for a domestic audience following the conflict.