Join Forces in Tokyo

Inscription: The first draft was made in autumn of the Renwu year (1942), and I completed this in the fifth month of the following year. The mother and her cubs are on the right side of the painting. Although it was then too early to express my pent-up anger, I am happy that this will finally be realized. Before Dragon Boat Festival 1943, Beihong. For my beloved wife, Jingwen, to keep.
Seal: “Compelled to continue” (Square seal with relief characters), “Xu” (Round seal with relief characters), and “Descended from the King of the Eastern Sea” (Rectangular seal with incised characters)

Join Forces in Tokyo was made on 24 September 1943. The painting contains six lions, who have come from snowy peaks near and far. This painting makes use of homophones, as the roaring lions represent China and the other countries fighting the Fascists. He has used their gathering on the peak of Japan’s Mount Fuji to presage the impending victory of China and the anti-Fascist countries. As the inscription says: “Although it is too early to tell, I am happy that this will finally be realized.”