Rise of an Empire
Scenes of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95
The exhibit will feature 20 woodblock print triptychs depicting first major conflict of Imperial Japan after Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the rapid westernization of Japan.
The war was mainly fought for the control of Korea, at the time a subsidiary Kingdom of China. Japan's victory was overwhelming and swift, resulting in territorial gains, as well as Korean Independence and substantial monetarily reward.
These woodblock prints were made by important artists and used in Japan as both propaganda and for the depiction of places the Japanese were only able to read about in newspapers.