Our Valiant Army Conquers an Island off Taiwan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Legion of Honor
- Image courtesy of
- Legion of Honor
Description
This print depicts operations during the Japanese occupation of the Pescadores (Penghu) archipelago or other island territories adjacent to Taiwan following the Treaty of Shimonoseki in April 1895. Island assault offered Kiyochika a visually distinctive subject: coastal cliffs, fortified positions, and amphibious action within a confined, dramatically defined geography. The composition likely shows infantry scaling rocky terrain or storming a defensive position, with vessels visible in the surrounding waters. The title's use of 'valiant' (yûkan) is characteristic of the laudatory register common to Meiji war prints, situating the image within an explicitly celebratory nationalist framework. Kiyochika's handling of coastal light and the interaction of land and sea reflects the perceptual concerns developed across his earlier atmospheric landscape work.
More Prints by Kobayashi Kiyochika
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
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Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
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The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
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Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Valiant Army Conquers an Island off Taiwan was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).
Our Valiant Army Conquers an Island off Taiwan depicts landscapes.