Artist: Shōgetsu (曻月) (?)

Signed: [曻月画] (Shōgetsu ga)

Publisher: Unidentified

Date: October 1894 (Meiji 27)

Media: Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper; Horizontal ōban triptych; All three sheets are physically joined (glued together); 37.0 × 72.5 cm (14.5 × 28.5 in)

Genre: Senso-e (戦争絵, war picture)

Title: The Battle of Jiuliancheng (九連城攻撃之図, Kyūrenjō kōgeki no zu — Illustration of the Attack on Jiuliancheng)

This dramatic triptych depicts the Battle of Jiuliancheng, fought on 24–25 October 1894 during the First Sino-Japanese War. Japanese troops, shown in black naval-style uniforms and white caps, storm a walled fortress from the left under exploding artillery fire. The Chinese defenders, clad in green and red, are overwhelmed in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Bodies lie strewn across the battlefield as the assault presses forward from right to left.

A mounted officer rallies troops in the center panel, while bayonets, sabres, and blood-red explosions dominate the violent scene. Trees and smoke frame the background, blending natural elements with the chaos of battle. The stylized flames and burst patterns evoke classic Edo-period techniques reworked for modern warfare.

The Battle of Jiuliancheng (九連城) marked the Japanese crossing of the Yalu River into Manchuria, one of the key early victories in the First Sino-Japanese War. Prints like this were mass-produced to foster patriotism and inform the public.

Reference: Japanese Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR): Gallery image of the battle