Changing sentries, Imperial Palace Tokyo

A study of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, with surrounding landscape and birds flying overhead. Two Australian Soldiers are presented in the lower left corner.

Initially working as a commercial artist, Reginald Rowed (1916-1990) was appointed official war artist in April 1945 to record the involvement of Australians in the New Guinea Campaign. At the conclusion of the Second World War, Rowed was commissioned to join the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan to depict the daily activities and physical environment of the Australian occupying force. Among Rowed's more poignant works produced during his time with the BCOF are those recoding the devastation and destruction of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. While in Japan, Rowed produced a number of watercolours that reflect an influence of Japanese visual culture. Using light washes of colour and attention to architectural detail, this work presents a strong influence of ‘Suibokuga’ painting; a form of ink wash painting popular in 15th Century Japan which places great emphasis on composition, minimal brush strokes, and quick execution.