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Great Naval Battle of Port Arthur – A Desperate Warship Hit by One of Our Torpedoes

Japanese Color Woodblock Print 

Great Naval Battle of Port Arthur –

A Desperate Warship Hit by One of Our Torpedoes

by Unread (Gyokuhō?), 1904

Yoshiwara Park: Army Foot Soldier Private Second Class Mr. Nakamura Fukusaburō from the Picture Album of the History of the Taishō Great Earthquake / Vol. 1

IHL Cat. #388

About This Print

Multiple Japanese torpedo boats attack the Russian fleet in Port Arthur.  Search lights pierce the sky as the Russian ships fruitlessly look for their attackers.


Source: Official History of the Russian-Japanese War: A Vivid Panorama of Land and Naval Battles, J. Martin Miller, 1905, p. 304-305.
Russian Fleet Taken by Surprise
On Feb. 9th and 10th the press dispatches brought sensational news regarding the attack of the Japanese torpedo boats upon the Russian naval fleet anchored in the roads just outside the entrance of Port Arthur harbor.  The attack was made by the swift Japanese torpedo boats during the dark night of Monday, Feb. 8th.  They fairly hugged the coast as they approached the entrance and when in close range of that part of the fleet anchored just outside the entrance to the harbor the Japs discharged several torpedoes toward their enemy's fleet. Several men-of-war, including the Cesarevitch, Retvizan and Pallada, were disabled.  The crippled fighting ships of the Czar limped toward Port Arthur and almost at its very entrance were beached.

Influence of the Japanese Victory
This was a staggering blow to proud and powerful Russia.  The news of the daring feat of the fearless Japs amazed the world.

NYT Article dated February 11, 1904

click to enlarge

The Cesarevitch during happier times

Source: Official History of the Russian-Japanese War: A Vivid Panorama of Land and Naval Battles, J. Martin Miller, 1905


Print Details

 IHL Catalog
 #388
 Title or DescriptionGreat Naval Battle of Port Arthur – A Desperate Warship Hit by One of Our Torpedoes
(Ryojun daikaisen ni waga suirai kan funsen no zu 旅順大海戰我水雷艦奮戰之図)*
「旅順港外大海戦に我が水雷艇奮戦の図」


 Artist  Unread
 Signature
This signature has been read as ōju 應需 (by special request)  Gyokuhō (玉寳 or 王寶). The June 2020 Hara Shobo catalog (p. 50, item 435) identifies the artist as 王宝 OHO, by which I assume they mean Ōhō.  No artist can be identified by either of these two names who worked during this period. 

 Seal  none
 Publication Date
February 16, 1904 (Meiji 37)
 Publisher
山本益次郎 Yamamoto Masujirō? (unknown publisher)
address: 麻布丁目番地 

 Impression excellent
 Colors excellent
 Condition fair - wrinkling and soiling, full-size separate sheets; not backed
 Genre ukiyo-esenso-e (Russo-Japanese War)
 Miscellaneous 
 Format vertical oban triptych
 H x W Paper
 14 1/2 x  9 1/2 in. (36.8 x 24.1 cm) each sheet
 Literature

 Collections This Print
 Meiji University Museum 目録番号 6B-153
* My thanks to Guy Pepermans for the print's title and its translation.


last revision:
8/28/2021
12/28/2020
3/15/2020