「我軍占領栄城湾上陸之図」

This triptych or single-sheet composition records the Japanese military landing at Rongcheng Bay (栄城湾) on the Shandong Peninsula in January 1895 during the First Sino-Japanese War. Kiyochika produced dozens of battle prints for this conflict, bringing his skill with dramatic lighting and spatial depth to war reportage. A landing scene would allow him to exploit the contrast between the gray expanse of sea and sky and the activity of troops and vessels — rendered through carefully layered ink passes and bokashi gradation across the water's surface. Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy would figure prominently in the middle ground while infantry formations move ashore. These prints were published rapidly to satisfy public demand for visual news from the front, functioning as illustrated journalism for an audience without access to photographic reproduction in daily print media.