Analyzing the âPhotographic Evidenceâ of the Nanking Massacre

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Photo D is the same as Photo 14, one of the RBS photographs subjected to analysisin the preceding chapter, and Photo E is identical with Photo 70, which is one of the “16Photos.” A glimpse at these two images causes one to suspect that they were captured atthe same location at the same time. Notably, the person seemingly about to be beheadedappears to be the same individual in both of them.A close examination of these photographs substantiates this suspicion. Theenlarged portion marked with square in both photographs show a man in a white shirtsitting on the ground with his hands on his laps. Also, the man is seen wearing somethingwhite around his head in the identical postures in both images.Photo C is the one printed in RON-YY, and Photo F is Photo 15 (see p. xx), whichis one of the WMRB images. Photo G is the same as Photo 73, one of the “16 Photos.”Photos F and G are those of RON-YY, which are clearer. Judging from the portionsindicated with numbered arrows in these images, all these photographs were taken from thesame location. The shapes of the trees, including their branches, the interval betweenthem and the man in the tree on the extreme right are all common to these snapshots.With these facts in mind, one should consider the accounts given by the twoformer owners of the album—Mr. A, who reportedly discarded the album containing printsproduced from two rolls of film that a Japanese military man asked him to develop, and Mr.B, who said he had found that album but concealed it until the end of the war to present itto the war crimes court. In summary, these two individuals supposedly kept the albumtightly in their possessions such that no one else saw them. The truth is, however, thatPhoto C, which was most likely taken from the same location at the same time at a differentangle, was available for a long time. The same is true of Photo F, which appeared inWMRB, published in 1938.A question worth investigating here is who took the WMRB photographs. It wasnot possible for the Japanese military authorities to permit its enemy to photograph suchimages. Thus, it is possible that a Japanese national, either civilian or military, wasgranted permission and clandestinely provided the images to the GMD. But such atransaction was almost unthinkable during the war because the Japanese military authoritiesenforced strict restrictions on the use of photographic images like these.A more plausible scenario is that the Chinese military either captured these actsundertaken by their own men or photographed staged scenes. A notable fact worthrepeating here is that the Japanese did not maintained the custom of public execution afterthe end of the Tokugawa period.140
Photo G Photo F Photo CPhoto C: RON-YY, p. 119.Photo F: The same as a WMRB photo previously shown as Photo 15.Photo G: An image identical to Photo 73—one of the “16 Photographs.” The soldier shownin this image was not wearing leg putties. In view of the common elements in Photos C, F,and G such as the shapes of trees and a man sitting in a tree, someone most likely tookthese photographs at the same location on the same date.As for Photo 76, one can notice an object resembling black smoke on the waternear the dead bodies. Ni Meijianguo de Lishi Zhaopian [Historical Photographs That AreOverlooked], vol. 2, includes the same photograph with a slight difference, that is, Photo I.Originally, two persons, circled in Photo I, are present. If a Japanese military man hadactually taken this photograph, these two individuals should have been either Japanese menor, at least, Chinese nationals who were not hostile to the Japanese because they wereattempting neither to move away from the camera nor submerge under the water. Rather,one of them is seen wearing a cap while another appears to be swimming toward thephotographer. Had a Japanese military man really been the photographer, this imageshould have been printed in its original form. RON-YY, however, carries this image withthe upper portion deleted (Photo H) with a caption reading “Corpses of massacred citizens,141
Page 1 and 2:
Analyzing the “Photographic Evide
Page 3 and 4:
List of AbbreviationsCCPGMDICNSZIMT
Page 5 and 6:
heard about the Rape of Nanking. I
Page 7 and 8:
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
Page 13 and 14:
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
Page 19 and 20:
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
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Apart from this speculation, anothe
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8. Apparently, no one in uniform ha
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the quote above makes it clear that
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Photo A: A clip of Photo 13 as prin
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Photo 15: “Shatou.” The first a
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Formation of thegroundPhoto C: “P
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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 and 128: The RBS caption of Photo 62 says,
Page 129 and 130: Conclusion: Composite, Play-up, Rep
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: The same background as the “origi
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
Page 179 and 180: army’s conduct after its entry in
Page 181 and 182: Photo 108Photo 108: “[C]hildren b
Page 183 and 184: Photo UPhoto U: Type-94 light armor
Page 185 and 186: Army rose near Zhonghua Gate.” Ju
Page 187 and 188: (11) Images of Shanghai re-captione
Page 189 and 190: Chapter 4: Misleading use of the Ph
Page 191 and 192: * 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 âPhotographic Evidenceâ of the Nanking Massacre