Mirror of the Twenty-four
Paragons of Filial Piety
(Nijûshi-kô dôji kagami, 二十四孝童子鑑)
Publisher: Wakasa-ya Yoichi
(若狭屋与市)
1840
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Many
of the images in this series appear Western in style, rather than Japanese,
and were probably copied from Italian prints.
Robinson lists only fourteen prints in this series, and it is likely
that the total number of designs is substantially fewer than twenty-four. These prints are each about 10 by 14 inches
(25 by 36 centimeters), a size known as ôban.
Two different seals of the publisher Wakasa-ya
Yoichi are used in this series. |
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Japanese name: Taishun (大舜) Chinese name: T’a Shun (Dashun) Legend: Despite a
neglectful father who favored his cruel step-mother and her son, Taishun cultivated land for his parents on Robinson: S13.1 |
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This is an example of the other known edition of the above
print. The patterns of bokashi (graded coloration) in the
foreground, sky and hills are very different. |
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These engravings by Johan Nieuhof (1618-1672)
were probably used as models for the preceding print. Kuniyoshi is known to have had access to a
book of Johan Nieuhof’s engracings, and may never have actually seen an elephant. |
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Japanese name: Môsô (孟宗) Chinese name: Mêng Tsung (Meng Zong) Legend: Môsô fulfilled his sick mother’s wish to eat bamboo
shoots in mid-winter by journeying to a snow covered bamboo grove, where
after praying, he miraculously found a huge cache of delicious bamboo shoots
beneath the snow. Here he is carrying
a hoe through the snow. Robinson: S13.2 |
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This is a badly faded print of the same design. It illustrates the principle that different
colored inks fade at different rates.
The natural colorants used for the reds, yellows and browns are barely
visible, whereas the blues and blacks are virtually unchanged. The blue pigment is the chemical,
ferric-ferrocyanide, an early import into |
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This is an example of another state of the above design. The patterns of bokashi (graded coloration), especially in the foreground, are very different. |
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Japanese name: Binshiken (閔子騫) Chinese name: Min-tzu-ch’ien Legend: Binshiken entreated his father to have mercy on the former’s
new stepmother after his father found out that Binshiken
was being mistreated. Here Binshiken is sweeping snow outside the house where his
stepmother stands with her two younger biologic children. Robinson: S13.3 Image courtesy of Marie de Strycker |
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This is a key block print of the above design. It is an impression pulled from the first
woodblock made by a carver from the artist’s original drawing. The artist would then indicate the desired
colors on a key block print, and a woodblock for each color was cut using a
key block print as a guide.
Registration marks (kento) are characteristically found on Japanese key block
prints, seen here on the bottom, near the right edge. Kento are cut in each woodblock, so that the paper can be
properly aligned on each woodblock during printing. In addition to being a guide for
carving the color woodblocks, the key block was also used to apply black ink
(usually) in the printing process. Note that this key block print is missing the
square publisher’s seal from the left lower corner and has the round seal of
the censor Takano Shin'emon added next to Kuniyoshi’s signature. The latter indicates that this key block
print was made in 1842-1843 for a second edition. |
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Japanese name: Sôshin (曾参) Chinese name: Tsêng Ts’an (Zeng Can) Legend: Sôshin was gathering wood in the forest one day when his
mother back at home bit her own finger in anger at her son’s absence. Feeling his mother’s pain, he immediately
returned home. Here Sôshin is hurrying home across a bridge to aid his mother
(in the foreground). Robinson: S13.4 |
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Japanese name: Ôshô (王祥) Chinese name: Wang Hsiang Legend: When his
stepmother wanted to eat fresh fish in mid-winter, Ôshô
went to a frozen pond and lay naked on the ice until it melted in order to
catch fish for her. Here he is fishing
in the snow with two relatives admiring the fish he has just caught. Robinson: S13.5 Image courtesy of Richard Illing |
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Japanese name: Rôraishi (老来子) Chinese name: Lao Lai
Tzu Legend: At age 70, Rôraishi still dressed and behaved like a young child to
amuse his senile parents. Here he is
playing with children’s toys. Robinson: S13.6 |
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Japanese name: Kyôshi (姜詩) Chinese name: Chiang Shih
(Jiang Shi) Legend: Kyôshi, along with his wife, traveled great distances to
get good water and fresh carp desired by his aged mother. However, one day a fresh spring suddenly
bubbled up in their own garden and provided excellent water as well as
fish. Here Kyôshi
is netting a fish in the river that formed outside his mother’s cottage. Robinson: S13.7 |
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These are two simplified and less labor intensive later printing
of the above design. The delicate
shading (bokashi) in the sky,
horizon, mountain, roofs and water has been simplified or eliminated. Bokashi
was achieved by hand-applying a gradation of ink to the wooden printing block
rather than inking the block uniformly.
This hand-application had to be repeated for each sheet of paper that
was printed. Although not bokashi, the complex pattern of two
solid colors for the rocks and earth in the foreground has also been
simplified. |
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Japanese name: Tô-fujin (唐夫人) Chinese name: T’ang Fu-jên (Tang Furen) Legend: Tô-fujin (also known as wife Tang) suckled her toothless
grandmother at her breasts. Robinson: S13.8 |
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Japanese name: Yo Ko (楊沓) Chinese name: Yang Hsiang
(Yang Xiang) Legend: Yo Ko at 14 years of age was accompanying
his father into the mountains when a hungry tiger leapt out at them. Without thinking of his own life, Yo Ko protectively jumped in front of
his father and thus scared off the tiger with his show of determined will. Robinson:
S13.9 |
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Japanese name: To Ei (董永) Chinese name: Tung Yung
(Dong Yong) Legend: To Ei indentured himself to a weaver in order to raise money
for his father’s burial. One day he
met a woman who, in the first hour after their marriage, wove enough silk to
fulfill the terms of his contract and then revealed herself to be the
Heavenly Weaver (Shokujo) before ascending to
heaven. Robinson: S13.10 Image courtesy of Richard Illing |
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Another state of the above design |
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Japanese name: Kwakkyo (郭巨) Chinese name: Kuo Chü (Guo Ju) Legend: Kwakkyo, lamenting the fact that his aged mother was
going hungry because food was being eaten by his infant son, prepared to kill
the baby. While digging the grave he
discovered a pot of gold with an attached note (or inscription) that the
treasure was meant for him. Robinson: S13.11 |
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Another state of the above print |
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Yet another state |
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A key block print for the above design.
The “L” in the left lower corner and the bar on the right side of the
bottom are registration marks (kento). |
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Japanese name: Rikuseki (陸績) Chinese name: Lu Chi (Lu
Ji) Legend: When Rikuseki was six years old, he was invited to the home of
a wealthy neighbor where he was given some persimmons, which he slipped into
his robes. Upon leaving, the fruit
fell out of his robes, and Rikuseki explained that
he intended to take them home for his mother.
Here Rikuseki stoops to pick up the fallen
persimmons. Robinson: S13.12 |
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Japanese name: Gomô (呉猛) Chinese name: Wu Mêng Legend:
Eight-year-old Gomô would let himself be bitten by
mosquitoes to spare his sleeping parents.
Here he is carrying a smoking pot to keep mosquitoes away from his
sleeping father. Robinson: S13.13 Image courtesy of Richard Illing |
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Another state of the above design |
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Japanese name: Ôhô (王褒) Chinese name: Wang P’ou (Wang Bao) Legend: Ôhô would rush to his mother’s grave during thunder storms
to comfort her spirit, because she had feared lightning while alive. Robinson: S13.14 |
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Another state of the above design with brown foreground |
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Japanese name: Enshi (剡子) Chinese name: Yen Tzu Legend: Enshi disguised himself in a deer skin in order to
capture a doe, which he could milk in order to cure his parents’ eye
disease. Hidden in the deer herd, he
was mistaken for a deer by hunters who roundly scolded him. However, when they heard his explanation the
hunters had only praise. Here Enshi is being shot at from a wooded hill by a hunter of
markedly European appearance. Robinson: S79.6 NOTE: This print
has the same title (二十四孝童子鑑) and general
format and as the above designs, but is dated 8th month of 1853
and bears the seal of the publisher Wakasa-ya
Yoichi. Robinson lists it as part of
the 1853 series, Twenty-four Chinese Paragons of Filial Piety. I am grateful to Dom Gilormini
for this image. |
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Japanese name: Chôkô (張孝) and Chôrei
(張禮) Chinese name: Chang Hsiao
and Chang Li Description: Chôkô and Chôrei were brothers
who, to support their 80-year-old mother, gathered berries in the
forest. One day on his way home Chôkô was attacked by robbers. As he had no money, the robbers wanted to kill
him, but Chôkô begged that he might first deliver
the food. Just then Chôrei appeared and offered his own life in place of his
brother’s. So impressed were the
robbers that they set both brothers free and gave them salt and rice. Here Chôrei is
offering his own life in place of his brother’s. Robinson: Unlisted NOTE: This and the next image are preparatory
drawings. Like the preceding print,
they are dated 8th month of 1853 and bears the seal of the publisher Wakasa-ya Yoichi |
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Japanese name: Shujushô (朱壽昌) Chinese name: Description: Shujushô was separated from his mother at age seven and
later became a high government official.
At age 55 he retired from office and began to search for his
mother. After much prayer and writing
a sutra with his own blood he found his mother. Here Shujushô is
searching for his mother. Robinson: Unlisted |
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“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement. CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE
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