Cavalryman Higashibata Rinpei ...

Cavalryman Higashibata Rinpei—another in the individual hero portrait series—documents one of the soldiers whose specific acts during the Sino-Japanese War earned official recognition. The mounted cavalry figure gave Gekko a subject combining the warrior's individual heroism with the visual splendor of horse and rider in full military kit, the animal's power amplifying the human figure's authority. These individual portraits served as a kind of printed medal of honor.