Kagoshima Senki [Records of the Battle of Kagoshima]; middle page of triptych
Toyohara Chikanobu
Description
Subject Matter:
Copied from (1954/1.69)
Toyohara Chikanobu was a retainer of the Sakakibara clan of Takada domain in Echigo province. After the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate, he joined Tokugawa loyalists and fought in the battle of Hakodate. This informs this battle piece because of his intimate connection with warfare.
Though this piece in particular depicts the Battle of Kagoshima, also known as the bombardment of Kagoshima. This was a battle between Britain and the Satsuma Domain, led by the Shimazu clan, in Kagoshima from August 15th to 17th of 1863. Kagoshima began firing at the British and the British retaliated with an ambush to push out the Shimazu from their Satsuma region but were unable to defeat them completely and withdrew two days later. This was considered a win for the Shimazu. Eventually, though, they would negotiate peace and create a strong relationship for the coming Boshin war.
Each panel of the triptych depicts a different flag. This one is the Rising Sun, the middle is the regular Japanese flag, and the leftmost one is a red flag of the Shimazu clan, the rulers of the Satsuma region. Each of the panels also shows imagery of guns versus swords. Guns, a typical symbol of the West, and swords or the katana, as a symbol of Japan, come into play in the battle between a Japanese clan and British forces. The horses also offer a similar symbol of westernization.
Physical Description:
The middle page of this triptych depicts men with swords or katana and men with bayonets engaging in warfare. A man in western clothes is on the ground on the left. Above the battle scene is a blue rectangle with writing. On its left is a small red box with more writing. There are mountains in the background obscured by multicolored smoke and a Japanese flag on the upper right.
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