General Ōdera Attacking the "Hundred Foot Cliff" with All His Might (Ōdera shōgun zenroku o furuite Hyakusekigai o shūgeki suru no zu)

Ogata Gekkō

1895

Woodblock printed oban-sized triptych; ink and color on paper

Harvard Art Museums

This horizontally oriented, woodblock-printed triptych comprises three individual sheets, each approximately 15 inches in height and 10 inches in width, that together form a panoramic scene dramatizing an historical event that took place during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). At the far left, four figures seen in profile stand atop a snowy cliffside rampart. Just beside them, is a large cannon aimed to the right over the ocean toward approaching Chinese warships, which enter the scene at the far right. Japanese Major General Ōdera Yasuzumi (1846–1895) stands triumphantly at the front, holding an unsheathed saber in his righ