In the Battle of the Yellow Sea a Sailor onboard Our Japanese Warship Matsushima, on the Verge of Dying, Asked Whether or Not the Enemy Ship Had Been Destroyed (Kôkai no tatakai ni waga Matsushima no suihei shi ni nozonde tekikan no sonpi o tou)

This print depicts one of the most-reproduced patriotic subjects of the First Sino-Japanese War: a dying sailor aboard the warship Matsushima at the Battle of the Yellow Sea (September 17, 1894) asking whether the enemy vessel has been sunk. The Matsushima served as the Japanese combined fleet flagship and suffered significant casualties during the engagement. The scene, framing a last conscious act of martial duty, was a standard format in the tradition of gishi-ga (loyalty pictures) and carried clear propaganda value during the war. Kiyochika's version likely renders the figure in the cramped interior of a warship, with dramatic lighting from a hatch or porthole highlighting the wounded sailor. A second version of this composition exists (catalogued separately), and the differences between states or editions — color variation, text cartouche placement, or compositional refinements — reflect common publishing practices for high-demand subjects.