Kōkai Kaisen ni Okeru Matsushimakan no Kannai no Jyōkyō 黄海海戦に於ける松島艦内の状況
1896. Item #90644
Kimura Kōkichi 木村浩吉 (?-1940). Kōkai Kaisen ni Okeru Matsushimakan no Kannai no Jyōkyō 黄海海戦に於ける松島艦内の状況. 明治29年 Meiji 29 [1896]. Tokyo. Uchida Rōkakuho 内田老鶴圃刊 (Uchida Yoshibe’e 内田芳兵衛). 33 x 24.5cm work bound with thin, knotted ties, opens Japanese style and is housed in a modern chitsu with clasps 33.4 x 25.3cm. Color wraparound woodcut of a warship battle on wrappers. Woodcuts and Japanese text center on the Battle of the Yellow Sea (Yalu River), particularly on board the warship Matsushima during the first Sino-Japanese War in Meiji 27-28 [1894-95]. Title page indicates that the artist was a naval officer. [19] vibrant, double page woodblock prints on heavy paper with mica, which gives the pages an iridescent sheen. Front endpapers include title page, calligraphy and a double page black and white woodcut of a bird on an anchor. Two hanko on title page and hanko next to the woodcuts as well as artist’s hanko on printed colophon. Pages of printed Japanese text follow the woodcuts. One printed double page appears to list the ship’s officers while a second lists the sailors.
The Matsushima was one of the lighter, faster warships of the Matsushima-class used during the first Sino Japanese war. It differed from the other warships in its class in that the main gun was not situated in the bow. The book begins with sailors praying on the deck, enjoying drinks and wrestling playfully. The ship is out at sea with blue skies and a calm ocean, until the battle begins. Bird's eye views of the battle depict ship formations and a small map, followed by closeups of the deck that reveal the blood and gore of injured, dead and decapitated sailors. The final woodcuts revert back to the splendor of warships and ceremonies honoring the wounded heroes.
Visual narrative not only of a battle, but of the glory and carnage of war. Slight worming along outer edges. Slight chipping at front corners. Concurs with the online NDL version, with some pages in a different order and ours has a title page and text throughout, which their copy lacks. Artwork is in good condition. According to OCLC, no holding in US libraries.
Price: $2,250.00