IMAGO International History, Archive, First Sino-Japanese War 1894-1895

Jan 14, 2026

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Britain: Satirical drawing depicting small Japan s 1894-5 victory over large China by the magazine Punch, 28 September 1894 The First Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894 - 17 April 1895) was waged beween the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese Empire, primarily over control of the Korean peninsula. In China, the war is commonly known as the War of Jiawu, while in Japan it is called the Japan-Qing War, and in Korea, the Qing-Japan War.<br ><br > The war lasted 8 months altogether, and saw more than six months of unbroken victories and success by the Japanese land and naval forces against the numerically superior but militarily inferior Chinese army. The Japanese eventually took over the Chinese port city of Weihaiwei and forced the Qing governme Copyright: xxPicturesxFromxHistoryx
Japan: A street scene in Tokyo: Japanese boys jeering at Chinese residents. Early 20th century. China, then under the Qing Dynasty, was defeated by Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 95. China was forced to cede Taiwan to the Japanese, and to recognize the independence of Korea in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Qing Dynasty was on the brink of collapse from internal revolts and foreign imperialism, while Japan had emerged as a great power through its effective measures of modernization.<br ><br > Japanese often mocked Chinese between the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the end of World War II. The Chinese were seen as culturally backward and objects of derision. Copyright: xxPicturesxFromxHistoryx
SINO-JAPANESE WAR, 1894. Visiting Japanese warship Akagi at Nagasaki Harbor, following the Battle of the Yalu River on the China-Korea border. English illustration, 1894. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0000927
SINO-JAPANESE WAR, 1894-5. The sinking of the Chinese ship Kow-Shing by Japanese men-of-war, July 1894. Illustration by a Chinese artist for an English newspaper, 1894. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0000926
RECORD DATE NOT STATED The First Sino-Japanese War, 1 August 1894 Ã¢â‚¬ 17 April 1895, fought between the Qing Empire and the Empire of Japan. From Hutchinson s History of the Nations, published 1915. Copyright: DesignxPicsx xKenxWelsh 902_05_12333133HighRes
Raw levies for the Chinese army, 1894 First Sino-Japanese War (1st August 1894 ? 17th April 1895). Raw levies for the Chinese army. The only reserve force is that of the Ying Ping or Chinese militia, sometimes called the Green Flags or the Braves, of whom 170,000 might be called out for service, but undrilled and mostly armed with hatchets, pikes, bows and arrows, and jingals or heavy matchlocks. Some of these raw levies have, in their march towards the seat of war, perpetrated robberies and murders and other outrages. Date: 1894 Copyright: Copyrightx(c)Geminix2023.xCredit:xGemini 11070110
Japanese warship Yoshino Kan, 1894 First Sino-Japanese War (1st August 1894 ? 17th April 1895). The Japanese warship Yoshino Kan on the cover of the Illustrated London News, 4th August 1894. The first Sino-Japanese War was fought primarily for control of Korea between the Empire of Japan and the Qing Empire of China. Date: 1894 Copyright: Copyrightx(c)Geminix2023.xCredit:xGemini 11070109
The Japanese Protected Cruiser Chiyoda The Protected Cruiser Chiyoda of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) - which served in the First Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War and World War I. Built by J & G Thomson of Glasgow, Scotland. Date: circa 1903 Copyright: Copyrightx(c)Geminix2023.xCredit:xGemini 11017901
RECORD DATE NOT STATED Japanese soldiers in Shanghai in 1937. The Battle of Shanghai was the first of the 22 major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War WorldxHistoryxArchive 917_05_wha_166_0037
Japanese troops victorious at Asan Japanese troops victorious at Asan, Korea during the First Sino-Japanese War 1894 Copyright: xPhoto12 AnnxRonanxPicturexLibraryx ARP17A26375
Sinking of the Chinese ship the Kowshing Sinking of the Chinese ship the Kowshing; at the Battle of Pungdo or Feng-Tao; the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 Copyright: xPhoto12 AnnxRonanxPicturexLibraryx ARP17A25484
A scene from the First Sino-Japanese War Engraving depicting a scene from the First Sino-Japanese War. Dated 1894 Copyright: xPhoto12 AnnxRonanxPicturexLibraryx ARP17A22324
The war in Eastern Asia : naval attack on the ports at Wei-Hai-Wei - The Japanese warship Yoshino . October 1894 Sino-Japanese war, Japan Copyright: Topfoto !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! UnitedArchives1380319
Sino-Japanese war Landing of Japanese troops at the beach at Chemulpo , Korea November 1894, Korea, Republic Of Copyright: Topfoto !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! UnitedArchives1380317
Korean soldiers and Chinese captives in First Sino-Japanese War 1894 to 1895 WHA !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright: WHA UnitedArchivesWHA_061_0193
Sinking of the Chinese ship the Kowshing; at the Battle of Pungdo or Feng-Tao; the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 WHA !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright: WHA UnitedArchivesWHA_076_0723
The First Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895). After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the Chinese port of Weihaiwei; the Qing government sued for peace in February 1895. WHA !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright: WHA UnitedArchivesWHA_076_0720
Chinese-Japanese War: Chinese troops wounded during their successful battle to liberate Tengchung receive treatment at a make-shift first aid station in the old Chinese city. UnitedArchives01008707

Images in this collection

SINO-JAPANESE WAR, 1894. Visiting Japanese warship Akagi at Nagasaki Harbor, following the Battle of the Yalu River on the China-Korea border. English illustration, 1894. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0000927

SINO-JAPANESE WAR, 1894-5. The sinking of the Chinese ship Kow-Shing by Japanese men-of-war, July 1894. Illustration by a Chinese artist for an English newspaper, 1894. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0000926

RECORD DATE NOT STATED The First Sino-Japanese War, 1 August 1894 Ã¢â‚¬ 17 April 1895, fought between the Qing Empire and the Empire of Japan. From Hutchinson s History of the Nations, published 1915. Copyright: DesignxPicsx xKenxWelsh 902_05_12333133HighRes

Japanese troops victorious at Asan Japanese troops victorious at Asan, Korea during the First Sino-Japanese War 1894 Copyright: xPhoto12 AnnxRonanxPicturexLibraryx ARP17A26375

Sinking of the Chinese ship the Kowshing Sinking of the Chinese ship the Kowshing; at the Battle of Pungdo or Feng-Tao; the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 Copyright: xPhoto12 AnnxRonanxPicturexLibraryx ARP17A25484

A scene from the First Sino-Japanese War Engraving depicting a scene from the First Sino-Japanese War. Dated 1894 Copyright: xPhoto12 AnnxRonanxPicturexLibraryx ARP17A22324

The war in Eastern Asia : naval attack on the ports at Wei-Hai-Wei - The Japanese warship Yoshino . October 1894 Sino-Japanese war, Japan Copyright: Topfoto !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! UnitedArchives1380319

Sino-Japanese war Landing of Japanese troops at the beach at Chemulpo , Korea November 1894, Korea, Republic Of Copyright: Topfoto !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! UnitedArchives1380317

Korean soldiers and Chinese captives in First Sino-Japanese War 1894 to 1895 WHA !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright: WHA UnitedArchivesWHA_061_0193

Sinking of the Chinese ship the Kowshing; at the Battle of Pungdo or Feng-Tao; the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 WHA !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright: WHA UnitedArchivesWHA_076_0723

Chinese-Japanese War: Chinese troops wounded during their successful battle to liberate Tengchung receive treatment at a make-shift first aid station in the old Chinese city. UnitedArchives01008707