Highlights for Warspot: Russian lubok and Japanese tree

When war broke out in the Far East in 1904 between two empires — the Russian and the Japanese — it seemed that there was not too much in common between the belligerent states and their armies. However, the military propaganda of the opponents shows that the similarities between them were were quite large.

The function of informing the illiterate population and shaping public opinion in both countries was performed by the graphics bordering on primitivism. It was here that it turned out that the features of the Russian popular splint («lubok») and traditional Japanese color woodcut are largely similar. In addition, it turned out that there are not so many propaganda stories about successful battles with a superior enemy, about cases of self-sacrifice of heroes or, on the contrary, the cunning of the enemy.

We have collected a small selection of similar Russian popular splints and traditional Japanese woodcut prints, made in the form of a triptych.

Cannon battles

Deadly ironclads

Hand-to-hand combat

Ambush

Lived In A Wall