Exterminating a Suffering Russian Bear, from the Series ‘Long Live Japan! One Hundred Selections, One Hundred Laughs’ 1904

Editor: This print by Kobayashi Kiyochika, made around 1904, is quite something. It's titled ‘Exterminating a Suffering Russian Bear, from the Series ‘Long Live Japan! One Hundred Selections, One Hundred Laughs’ and appears to be a woodcut, I think. It’s visually very busy but also has a humorous tone... What exactly am I looking at? Curator: Ah yes, a glimpse into the world of political cartoons during the Russo-Japanese War! Kiyochika, ever the observer, captured the fervent patriotism of the time. Notice the Japanese soldiers attacking this somewhat pathetic, anthropomorphic Russian bear—not with bullets, mind you, but with pickaxes! Editor: A bear, of course! So it's satire. Is it about Japan’s military might? Curator: On the surface, perhaps. But look closer: the bear is wearing a Red Cross uniform! Kiyochika, beneath the humor, is making a powerful, perhaps even controversial, statement about the conflict. He questions the very notion of 'civilized' warfare, even while engaging with pro-Japanese sentiment. Don’t you think there's a moral tightrope being walked here? Editor: Absolutely! The Red Cross uniform… that’s quite subversive for the time, isn't it? I hadn’t thought about the ethics of satire, or war for that matter. It’s made me re-think it completely. Curator: Indeed! It's a window into a specific time, but also a reminder that art can, and often should, provoke more questions than answers. A clever one, isn't it? I shall leave that to rest with the viewers now, eh?