Twenty-four Chinese Paragons of Filial Piety
(Morokoshi
nijûshi-kô, 唐廿四孝)
Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei
1853
The
book entitled “The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety” was written by the
Chinese scholar Guo Jujing during the Yuan Dynasty. His pen-name was Yizi, and he is known in
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Japanese name:
Teiran Chinese name:
Ting Lan Legend:
Teiran carved wooden images of his parents to which he regularly paid his
respects. Returning home one day he
found a frown on the face of the statue of his mother and learned that his
wife had insulted his mother’s memory.
He apologized to the wooden image and severely scolded his wife. Here he is upbraiding two visitors who
failed to show proper respect to his parents’ statues. Robinson:
S79.1 |
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Japanese name:
Ôshô 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 Robinson:
S79.2 |
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Japanese name:
Tôei (董永) Chinese name:
Tung Yung or Dong Yong Legend:
Tôei 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. Here Tôei
meets the Heavenly Weaver on the shore. Robinson:
S79.3 |
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Japanese name:
Kwakkyo Chinese name:
Kuo Chü 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. Here Kwakkyo and his wife
discover the pot of gold buried outside their home. Robinson:
S79.4 Image courtesy of Gary D.
Gross |
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Japanese name:
Kôkaku (江革) Chinese name:
Chiang Ko or Jiang Ge Legend:
Kôkaku pleading with three armed robbers for the life of his mother who is
kneeling in the roadway Robinson:
S79.5 |
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No image available Japanese name:
Enshi 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
Eenshi is being shot at from a wooded hill by a hunter of markedly European
appearance. Robinson:
S79.6 |
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Japanese name:
Kyôshi (姜詩) Chinese name:
Chiang Shih (Jiang Shi) Description:
Kyôshi’s wife carrying a bucket of water in the rain for her aged
mother-in-law 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.
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