ABSTRACT
Of the many images and texts of the later nineteenth century that warned of a yellow peril, none became as iconic as the painting sketched by the German kaiser Wilhelm II in 1895, shortly after the Sino-Japanese War (1894–5). In this painting, the archangel Michael, standing aloft a cliff, directs the attention of seven female warriors, each symbolizing the European nations (including Russia), to an image of the Buddha glimmering ominously in the distance. Above them shines the Christian cross. The caption reads: “Nations of Europe, protect your holiest Goods!” Although triggered by Japan's surprise victory over China, Wilhelm's readiness for a racial battle had deeper roots, including his anti-Semitism, his belief in the purity of the German race, and his penchant for Nordic mythology. It also had to do in part with the personality of the famously mustachioed kaiser, widely considered by contemporaries as being unstable and even megalomaniac. 1
