斥 means 'reject'

In the Meiji era (1868–1912), a westernizing Japan moved away from traditional culture, as this bundle illustrates. People rejected certain superstitions as embarrassing, such as a belief in yokai (supernatural creatures). Kabuki became more modern and radical. The Japanese viewed some Western attire as stylish, including clothing with high collars. Meiji-era students dressed shabbily to convey that they were intellectuals, inspiring a term for "unconcerned about one's personal appearance." But East sometimes clashed with West; a push to keep Japanese painting styles purely Japanese sparked boycotts of Western art.

The Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) pitted Russia's powerful navy against the outmatched Japanese. As this bundle shows, Japan fought doggedly. One cavalry lieutenant traveled unthinkable distances in terrible conditions to gather vital reconnaisance behind enemy lines. His heroics inspired a novel and film. The Japanese persisted for five months in the violent Siege of Port Arthur. Finally, the Japanese prevailed in the Battle of Tsushima, winning the war and diminishing Russian strength in East Asia. Japanese optimism came through even in the name of the stomach medicine soldiers received; the kanji meant "pills to conquer Russia"!