Sergeant Kawasaki Crosses the River Taedongjiang Alone (Kawasaki gunsō tanshin Daidōkō o wataru) Possibly 1894

Curator: Looking at this print by Mizuno Toshikata, notice how Sergeant Kawasaki is portrayed crossing the Taedongjiang River. The vastness of the water really gives you a sense of his solitude. Editor: It feels like a visual metaphor for the isolation and intensity of war, doesn't it? His face is set with grim determination. Curator: Exactly. Considering its historical context, the print might be viewed through the lens of Meiji-era nationalism and the Russo-Japanese War. Editor: And that scroll at the top, what is the role of text in understanding the image's propagandistic function? Are we meant to read it literally? Curator: The inscription would further amplify Kawasaki’s heroism in the eyes of the contemporary viewer, thus adding to its political and social impact. Editor: A chilling combination of bravery and the rhetoric of conflict. It's made me think about the way individual struggles are often overshadowed by wider political narratives.