Hurrah for Japan! The Victory Song of Pyongyang (Nippon banzai, Heijô no gaika)

This variant of the Pyongyang victory print series — distinguished by the romanization 'Nippon' rather than 'Nihon' in the subtitle — likely represents either a re-edition of the same composition with minor textual or chromatic changes, or a distinct compositional treatment of the same subject. The Battle of Pyongyang (September 15, 1894) produced multiple commemorative print treatments from several publishers, and Kiyochika created numerous iterations within the sensō-e market that operated at high speed during the conflict. Compositionally, this sheet may present a different vantage point on the victory scene — soldiers in formation, the raising of the Hinomaru, or a panoramic view of the city after its capture — using the dense smoke and fire-lit atmospheric effects that define Kiyochika's mature war imagery. The Pyongyang victory had immediate popular resonance, as the battle demonstrated the Japanese Army's capacity to defeat an established Chinese force in open engagement, and prints celebrating it sold widely in the weeks following the battle.