The Best of the Japanese Army in Taiwan, Meiji period, dated 1894

A second print in Kiyochika's series on the Japanese Army's Taiwan campaign, this composition likely depicts a distinct engagement or location within the 1895 operations following Japan's acquisition of the island under the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Taiwan Campaigns presented Japanese woodblock artists with the challenge of rendering an unfamiliar tropical geography for a domestic audience accustomed to images of continental China and Korea. Kiyochika's compositional approach to these prints draws on the sensō-e conventions he refined throughout the Sino-Japanese War: advancing infantry in close formation, smoke from rifle and artillery fire obscuring background terrain, and the diagonal energy lines that convey military momentum. The prints were issued in rapid succession to satisfy public demand during active campaigns, reflecting the commercial sensō-e market's tight relationship with newspaper reporting of military developments.