
Artist's commentary
Imperial Japanese Navy ship Kongou and Hiei
In 1890, the Ottoman warship Ertugrul sank off the coast of Wakayama Prefecture due to a typhoon, resulting in a major disaster with over 500 casualties. Thanks to the tireless rescue efforts of the residents of Kashino, Oshima village, 69 people were saved, and the Japanese Navy decided to repatriate the survivors to Istanbul on the warships Kongou and Hiei.
This painting shows the Kongou and Hiei arriving in Istanbul on January 2, 1891. At first I wanted to use the huge mosque, a symbol of Istanbul, as the background, but records indicate that Dolmabahce Palace was used as the accommodation for the crew, so I chose the surface of the sea near Dolmabahce Palace as the background. Although it is not visible due to the ship, there is a magnificent palace in the background.
Acrylic on half of a F10 canvas.