About This Print

Captain Matsuzaki is captured in a similar pose in this book print (kuchi-e) as in the artist's triptych The Great Battle of the Ansong Ford: The Valor of Captain Matsuzaki Crossing Anjo (IHL Cat. #168).  The name of the book in which this print served as a frontispiece is unknown.

Crossing the Anjō-sen
Source: In Battle's Light: Woodblock Prints of Japan's Early Modern Wars, Elizabeth de Sabato Swinton, Worcester Art Museum, 1991, p. 74.
In the battle of Asan, south of Seoul, Captain Matsuzaki Naomi led his men across the deep Ansong River on July 29, 1894 to attack the enemy on the other side.  He was hit, but urged his men forward, until he was killed by a second bullet.  It was not the gallant officer, however, but his bugler Shirakami Genjiro, who died blowing the charge, who became the first national hero of the campaign.

Toshikata includes all the details that convey the samurai spirit of the modern warrior.  Advancing under heavy fire, undaunted by personal danger, Matsuzaki charged ahead of his men.  The nighttime sky, lit by a crescent moon, heightens the pathos of the hero's bravery and death.

Print Details

IHL Catalog	#530
Title or Description	Captain Matsuzaki (松嵜大尉) Crossing the Anjō-sen (安城川 渡し)
Artist	Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908)
Signature	not signed
Seal	Toshikata
Publication Date	c. 1894 (Meiji 27)
Publisher	unknown
Impression	excellent
Colors	excellent
Collection	good - center fold and mounting remnants verso right margin as consistent with mounted kuchi-e; light white chalk marks center of image
Genre	ukiyo-e - senso-e (Sino-Japanese War); kuchi-e
Miscellaneous
Format
H x W Paper	7 x 9 1/4 in. (17.8 x 23.5 cm)
H x W Image	6 1/4 x 8 in. (15.2 x 20.3 cm)
Literature
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