Great Victory for the Japanese Navy in the Yellow Sea, Image 4 (Kôkai ni okeru waga gun no Taishô: Dai yon zu), Meiji period, dated 1894
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museum
- Image courtesy of
- Harvard Art Museum
Description
A third impression of the fourth composition from Kiyochika's Yellow Sea series, 1894. The Battle of the Yellow Sea lasted approximately five hours and resulted in the destruction or capture of several Chinese warships, making it among the most consequential naval actions in East Asian history to that date. Kiyochika's sensō-e prints of this conflict were produced in large editions to meet popular demand, and variations across impressions—in color intensity, bokashi transitions from dark sea to lighter sky, and the rendering of smoke and flame—reflect pressures of rapid production. The composition as the fourth in the series likely emphasizes the culminating action or aftermath of the battle, consistent with sequential narrative conventions in woodblock war print series of the Meiji period.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Great Victory for the Japanese Navy in the Yellow Sea, Image 4 (Kôkai ni okeru waga gun no Taishô: Dai yon zu), Meiji period, dated 1894 was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).
Great Victory for the Japanese Navy in the Yellow Sea, Image 4 (Kôkai ni okeru waga gun no Taishô: Dai yon zu), Meiji period, dated 1894 depicts seascapes.