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「日本万歳 百撰百笑」「討清の翫弄物遊び 骨皮道人」 by Kobayashi Kiyochika — Japanese Woodblock print

「日本万歳 百撰百笑」「討清の翫弄物遊び 骨皮道人」

by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Waseda University

Description

The subtitle 'Tōshin no ganrōmono asobi' (Toy Play in the Subjugation of Qing, or Playing with Toys While Subduing Qing) frames the entire military campaign against China as effortless child's play, reducing the Qing forces to the status of toys manipulated by Japanese soldiers. This is among the most dismissive entries in the Nihon Banzai: Hyakusen Hyakushō series, using the domestic imagery of children's games and playthings to trivialize Qing military resistance. The composition likely depicts Japanese soldiers manipulating miniaturized Chinese figures as though they were puppets or game pieces — a satirical visual conceit combining martial triumph with nursery-room condescension. 'Ganrōmono' (toys, playthings) also carries connotations of something easily trifled with. The nishiki-e woodblock format suited such bold visual metaphors: flat color, strong outline, and caricature proportion working together to make the satirical argument legible without explanatory text. Kiyochika's facility with popular imagery across registers made him well suited to producing this type of politically charged comic work.

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Frequently Asked Questions

「日本万歳 百撰百笑」「討清の翫弄物遊び 骨皮道人」 was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).