The “Tokoyo Trials” was hung up in the Nanjing Massacre memorial hall, showing people responsible for crimes during World War Two on trial. This was when judges from multiple countries like US, Netherlands, Russia, and others came together to hold 28 soldiers of war crimes. These crimes occurred during the second world war on the Japanese side. An artist wanted to highlight this vital piece of history, but how he did it is unique.
Like the Nuremberg trials, its counterpart occurred in Europe; this was a significant trial for many people after World War II. IMTFE was in charge of looking at the atrocities of World War Two against civilians and prisoners. The painting presents 28 high-ranking war criminals with the Japanese regimes. 11 Judges from each allied power worked to punish these criminals and give out fitting punishments. The artist became enamored by the trial surrounding himself with historical pieces.
The painter initially wants to focus on the panoramic view of judges, lawyers and convicted delegating the trial. He quickly realized he needed a giant canvas and a new idea of how to paint this historical event. Most of his research on the topic came from “The Tokyo Trial Research Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which in 2016 purchased 7,000 minutes of archival footage taken by a team of American documentarians who were present at the trial.” Combining all this information from pictures, books, and footage led to the thirst to depict everyone in the piece accurately. The artist wanted to capture everyone perfectly, from the witnesses to the convicted. The problem with wanting to represent everyone accurately was that there wasn’t enough information, or the footage wasn’t good enough to get everyone in the painting.
Eventually, the artist “had a 4-meter-high, 172-meter-long painting with over 400 named figures”. His way of depicting the trial had a backlash, with it not being the traditional way of painting historical photos. The goal was “for viewers to spend 30 minutes to an hour taking it in and fully understand what the Tokyo Trials looked like and what made them so significant”. In the final product, the artist presented the accused and had written all around explaining the piece’s historical importance. He “grouped the accused, with the seven sentenced to death by hanging in the front, the 16 sentenced to life imprisonment in the middle, and the last two, given lighter sentences, in the back. This also gave me more room and allowed me to emphasize the solemnity and impose the court’s nature.” It’s exciting how this picture visually gives so much information; looking at it is like reading a book. One can understand the seriousness of the trials and brutality of war and what comes from it.
Li Bin. “Reimagining a Tokyo Trial Tableau“. Sixth Tone. Nov. 11, 2019.
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