從圖像看日本對甲午戰爭的宣傳

Through the Iconic Ukiyo-e: Meiji Japan’s Propaganda Effort in the First Sino-Japanese War

關於中日甲午戰爭有諸多討論，對於中國在甲午戰爭中大多抱持著不堪一擊的想法，但若是進一步了解當時中國的軍事狀況、分析中國的內在局勢，便可發現，其實並非如一般所論述的，中日實力相差懸殊。但何以中國大敗？同時在日後論及甲午戰爭時，均一面倒向日本，媒體宣傳，實扮演著一個重要的角色。
本文主要從圖像著手，探討日本在甲午戰爭期間，如何運用圖像達到宣傳的目的，尤其藉由浮世繪的繪製，塑造中國與日本的形象，大量的圖像傳播，深入人心，從而將其侵略中國的私心，包裝成落後與文明之戰，將之合理化。而中日對待媒體宣傳的態度，影響著國際觀感與輿論，對於戰爭的進行，實有著相當的影響。文中以當代日本與西方的文字資料與圖像相互對照，呈現當代日本的真實樣貌與日本形塑後的形象，探討當代日本繪製的圖像與媒體宣傳，及其在甲午戰爭中的影響。

There are numerous discussions about the events of the First Sino-Japanese War. Many have held the opinion that the Qing dynasty’s catastrophic defeat was inevitable. However, if we take a closer look at the political background within China and its military composition at the time, we realize there was not a great disparity between the two combatants, contrary to many have expounded. Why the improbable failure of the Qing dynasty, then? And why were discussions and discourses on the War often sided with Japan? The answer is media propaganda, which played a pivotal role in the warfare. This thesis examines how the Meiji era government achieved its propaganda victories by using icons- Ukiyo-e - as a medium during the First Sino-Japanese War. Through mass quantities of the manga styled Ukiyo-e, the depicted or reshaped images of China and Japan had left a strong imprint on people. Meiji Japan was able to justify its aggression against China as a war between “civilization and retrogression.” Furthermore, the different attitudes China and Japan held toward media propaganda played a major influence on foreign opinions and impressions of the two combatants. This had profound impact on the progress of the War. By using materials: words and images from modern Japan and Western sources, this thesis presents the real and the “packaged” images of Meiji Japan; investigates the drawings of modern icons and media propaganda and their effects on the War.