American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Gouache on board depicting the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato, signed by Kunstler at lower right. Visible area: 19 1/4 x 14 1/2 in. Frame: 32 × 26 3/4 in. Provenance: Previously sold Heritage Auction Galleries 26 April 2016, sale 5425, lot 71114.

Commissioned a week after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Yamato was the lead battleship of her class built for the Japanese Imperial Navy. The ship displaced 71,000 tons and was armed with nine 46 cm Type 94 guns - the largest mounted on any warship. Throughout the war she was one of the most feared ships at sea, however as the tide turned against the Japanese she was dispatched to Okinawa with the aim of beaching herself in the hopes of slowing the Allied advance. Her path was intercepted by Allied forces before Yamato could arrive and she was sunk 180 miles away from Kyushu. This illustration appeared on the November 1964 issue of Stag magazine and was exhibited at the Nassua County Museum of Art of Roslyn Harbor, New York, as part of the "The American Spirit: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler," exhibition held from 28 May-13 August 2006.