Sino-Japanese War: Picture of Naval Officers Discussing Strategy to be Used in the War against China 1894

Mizuno Toshikata’s ‘Picture of Naval Officers Discussing Strategy to be Used in the War against China’ is a woodblock print, a process intimately tied to both tradition and mass production. The image is created by carving a design into a block of wood, applying ink to its surface, and then pressing paper against it. Notice the flat planes of color and the sharp outlines, which are characteristic of this technique. Woodblock printing in Japan involved a division of labor: the artist created the design, but specialist carvers and printers brought it to life. This print is made of multiple panels which suggests a commercial imperative, and with that, a potentially nationalistic one. Consider the incredible skill that these artisans possessed, honed through years of apprenticeship. Their expertise was essential to the production of these images, which were widely circulated during the Sino-Japanese War, disseminating propaganda in support of the Japanese military effort. By understanding the materials and making of this print, we can better appreciate how it functioned within the broader social and political context of its time.