Analyzing the âPhotographic Evidenceâ of the Nanking Massacre

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Photos 63 and 64, according to their captions, show “A train carrying refugeesfrom Songjiang,” and “Our nationals who are fleeing in order not to be enslaved,”respectively. Yet, the only sure fact obtainable from these images is that these are thescenes of heavily crowded trains. They may be captioned in a variety of ways to giveviewers different impressions. The date and the photographer of these images areunknown.Photos 63-64: WMRBPhoto 63Photo 64126
Conclusion: Composite, Play-up, Reprint, and Fabricated CaptionOne may summarize the characteristics of the 70 photographs that formed the“roots” of the atrocity photos as the following:1. Most of the images are of unknown origin—one cannot ascertain who took it, at whatlocation and on what date. Photographers were identified only for about ten pictures.2. As for those photographs whose origins were firmly established, they were eitherplayed-up images used for propaganda purposes or reprints from Japanese photomagazines with fabricated captions attached.3. One can barely determine which photograph was taken in Nanking. In addition, thescenes captured in many of these images were not those of winter—the season in whichthe Japanese occupied Nanking.4. No single photo conveys the image of a large-scale massacre allegedly claiming300,000 lives. One can see about a dozen dead bodies only on two photographs.Almost all other images are of one or two dead bodies. Victims shown in these picturesare women and children in quite a few cases.5. No image shows the demeanor or facial expression of Nanking citizens who weresupposedly under a reign of terror as American newspaper articles and Timperly’s workdescribed.In the end, all photographs in RBS and WMRB are determined to be of dubiousquality as photographic evidence that depicted the reality of Nanking at the time. At thesame time, they prove to be propaganda images which the GMD propaganda bureau oreven the GMD government itself fabricated to degrade the image of theiropponent—Japan. Another fact that gradually took shape in the course of analyzingthese photographs is that a number of published books and videos have used them eitherwithout authentication, by retouching, or with fabricated captions.Thus, the conclusion of this chapter is that none of the 70 photographs, fromwhich the “atrocity photographs” as they are known today originated, can be a piece ofviable evidence to prove the occurrence of atrocities in Nanking. To accept thisconclusion is up to the reader.127
Page 1 and 2:
Analyzing the “Photographic Evide
Page 3 and 4:
List of AbbreviationsCCPGMDICNSZIMT
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heard about the Rape of Nanking. I
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Discovery of a “top secret” GMD
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only in the Chinese edition of Timp
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Photos C and D, which appeared in t
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Nanking massacre was published with
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Chapter 1: Realities of the Battle
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August 12, the Chinese army’s for
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Crisscrossed runningcanals.” Mans
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“Death-defying aerial photograph
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Sunday, November 28: Wang Gupan, ch
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Zhonghua Gate. Viewphotographed fro
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Escape of garrison commander TangTh
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Soldiers shouting “banzai” on t
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soldiers from civilians. Again, thi
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For example, combatants who are cap
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Graph: Nihon no senreki [Mainichi G
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An important fact is that the Japan
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the city.Given the non-occurrence o
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Victory ceremony in front of the GM
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Nanking Citizens Relinquishes Anti-
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I heard a hymn accompanied by an or
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Children riding mules in front ofNa
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with Chinese staff members of the s
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One week after the fall of Nanking.
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Peddlers wishing to trade withJapan
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My mission was to visit the office
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Chapter: The First “Photographic
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Analyses of Group A photographs1. S
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Contemporary Japanese publications,
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Of course, the image of a lone infa
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Photos D and E are in a booklet ent
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(c) Bombing of the USS PanayRBS lis
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Photos C and D: The Panay sinking i
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about-to-take-place beheading was a
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(a) Four military personnel at the
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of a living person posing for the c
Page 77 and 78: Apart from this speculation, anothe
Page 79 and 80: 8. Apparently, no one in uniform ha
Page 81 and 82: the quote above makes it clear that
Page 83 and 84: Photo A: A clip of Photo 13 as prin
Page 85 and 86: Photo 15: “Shatou.” The first a
Page 87 and 88: Formation of thegroundPhoto C: “P
Page 89 and 90: Four identical individuals are show
Page 91 and 92: As for Chiang Kai-shek and his GMD,
Page 93 and 94: 3. Still Images of Dead BodiesIf th
Page 95 and 96: Timperly may well have selected thi
Page 97 and 98: According to the RBS’s caption,
Page 99 and 100: Photos 26-28:RBS was the first sour
Page 101 and 102: One can easily point out difference
Page 103 and 104: Shanghai. Several photos I saw when
Page 105 and 106: In 1998, however, Hata Ikuhiko unea
Page 107 and 108: Photo E: Asahi Graph, 10 November 1
Page 109 and 110: Photo I: The original of Photo 36 w
Page 111 and 112: Photo J: This is the original of Ph
Page 113 and 114: however, stated that the girl in th
Page 115 and 116: Group B photographs: Photographs th
Page 117 and 118: WMRB introduces Photo 45-51 as scen
Page 119 and 120: Photo 48Photo 49117
Page 121 and 122: According to the caption of Photo 5
Page 123 and 124: Agnes Smedley describes how the Com
Page 125 and 126: Photo 58Photo 59Photo 60123
Page 127: The RBS caption of Photo 62 says,
Page 131 and 132: The following sources made referenc
Page 133 and 134: Horizontal and vertical ratio of th
Page 135 and 136: Photo 133
Page 137 and 138: have not been seen by anyone else u
Page 139 and 140: 137
Page 141 and 142: The same background as the “origi
Page 143 and 144: Photo G Photo F Photo CPhoto C: RON
Page 145 and 146: “Courtesy of Marion Fitch”RON-Y
Page 147 and 148: some 50 photographs which he had ta
Page 149 and 150: Fitch Photos -(21)Photo 93 Photo 91
Page 151 and 152: Photo B Photo A Photo 84Photos 84 a
Page 153 and 154: Photo 88Photo 88: An identical phot
Page 155 and 156: and 90, one may assume that the pho
Page 157 and 158: Forty-five years later, however, Na
Page 159 and 160: Japanese side. But [the unearthed m
Page 161 and 162: (2) Alleged murder of childrenAmong
Page 163 and 164: It is Carl Mydans, an American in C
Page 165 and 166: inspired anti-Japanese sentiment am
Page 167 and 168: Another notable fact is that a sold
Page 169 and 170: military have appeared in several N
Page 171 and 172: Photo 102Photo 102: One of the phot
Page 173 and 174: Photo PPhoto OPhoto O: Watashi no j
Page 175 and 176: In one case a [Communist] Party mem
Page 177 and 178: In view of such a Chinese tradition
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army’s conduct after its entry in
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Photo 108Photo 108: “[C]hildren b
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Photo UPhoto U: Type-94 light armor
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Army rose near Zhonghua Gate.” Ju
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(11) Images of Shanghai re-captione
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Chapter 4: Misleading use of the Ph
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* Magee photo (1)Magee’s film (MF
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* Magee photo (3)MF: Group of women
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This photograph has been cited as e
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(d) Ulterior motive behind the incl
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discrepancy between the realities i
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Photo 126Photo 126: RON-YY, which f
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Images Photographed by the Westerne
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As for Photo 130, RON-YY said, “O
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Photo A Photo 131Photo 131: Second
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and she found the following passage
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Images Photographed by the Japanese
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Photo 134Photo 134: Zusetsu Shōwa
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Photo FPhoto DPhoto EPhotos D and E
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much larger number POWs obeyed a sm
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Photo IPhoto 136Photo I: Fukyoka sh
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As for Nihon no shinryaku: Chūgoku
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Shanxi Province, and Nomonhan durin
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half open. Since Murase most likely
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Map 2Map 2: “Assault on Nanking.
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Photo N: A photograph among the rec
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emoved them away from the shore to
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find an old man lying on the ground
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spring or summer time—as illustra
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correspondents who assisted in the
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e-captioned pieces. This publicatio
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Analyzing the âPhotographic Evidenceâ of the Nanking Massacre

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Analyzing the âPhotographic Evidenceâ of the Nanking Massacre