The Great Naval Battle outside the Harbor of Port Arthur: Great Victory of Our Troops on the Early Dawn of March 10, 1904

The brutal weather conditions under which this naval battle was fought provided an opportunity for the artist to create one of the most memorable images of the war. The white of the searchlights and exploding torpedoes provide high contrast with the deep black of the night sky and the gray blue of the water. Falling snow is represented by the liberal scattering of "gofun" (oyster shell powder). Little is known about the artist Ōkura Kōtō, other than that he was a student of Ogata Gekkō. Following the preemptive strikes by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the Russian Pacific Fleet on February 8–9, 1904, a number of naval battles broke out in the waters surrounding Port Arthur. This six-panel print depicts the battle on March 10, 1904, outside the harbor, which resulted in the sinking of two Russian destroyers.