Twenty-four Chinese Paragons of Filial Piety
(Morokoshi
nijûshi-kô)
Publisher: Idzumi-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:
Tôyei Chinese name:
Tung Yung Legend:
Tôyei 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 Tôyei
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 Chinese name:
Chiang Ko 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:
Yenshi Chinese name:
Yen Tzu Legend:
Yenshi 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
Yenshi is being shot at from a wooded hill by a hunter of markedly European
appearance. Robinson:
S79.6 |
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Japanese name:
? Chinese name:
? Description:
Young woman in the rain carrying a bucket of water to elderly man in a
cottage. 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 unpublished supplement.
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