Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety of Our Country
(Honchô nijûshi-kô, 本朝廿四考)
Publisher: Murata-ya Tetsu
1842-1843
The
book entitled “The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety” was written by the Guo Jujing during the Yuan
Dynasty. It recounts the self-sacrificing
behavior of twenty-four Chinese children who improved their parents’ lives or
peacefully honored their deceased parents.
This series of prints portrays a more warlike lot of children from
Japanese history and legend–several free their parents from captivity or avenge
their parents’ deaths. The prints in
this series are each about 10 by 7 inches (25 by 18 centimeters), a size known
as chûban.
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Title: Anju-hime and Tsushiô Maru (安壽姫 封王丸) Scene: Anju-hime carrying two buckets on a pole over her
shoulder accompanied by her brother, Tsushiô Maru who is carrying a rake and a basket of reeds Robinson:
S23.1 |
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Title: Chiyonô-hime (チ世能姫) Scene: Chiyonô-hime in a wind holding a torch and a dirk about
to rescue her father from imprisonment after the rebellion of Aidzu no Tarô Nobuchika against Yoritomo Robinson:
S23.2 |
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Title: Chûjô-hime (中将姫) Scene: Chûjô-hime walking by a lotus pond on a windy day Robinson:
S23.3 |
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Title: Ichiman-maru and Hako-o-maru (一万丸 箱王丸) Scene: The
young Soga brothers practice swordsmanship on a heap of snow in order to
avenge their father Robinson:
S23.4 |
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Title:
Hino Kumawaka-maru (日野熊若丸) Scene:
Hino Kumawaka Maru
training to avenge his father by swinging across a stream on a bamboo Robinson:
S23.5 |
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Title: The
Dutiful Girl of the Hitotsuya (Hitotsuya no Kojo, 一ツ家の孝女) Scene: The
dutiful girl of Hitotsuya saved from the hag of the
lonely house by an apparition of the goddess Kannon Robinson:
S23.6 |
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Title: Hitsu-no-Saishô Haruhira (弼宰相春衡) Scene: Hitsu-no-Saishô Haruhira
recognizes his Father who was forced to act as a lighthouse with a candle on
his head Robinson:
S23.7 |
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Title:
Homma Gennai-hyôe Suketada
(本間源内兵衛資忠) Scene:
Homma Gennai-hyôe Suketada
writing his farewell poem on a torii at Shitennôji with his own
blood after the death of his father Sukesada Robinson:
S23.8 |
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Title: Ima-jo of Scene: The
poor girl Ima-jo catching a carp to feed her
parents Robinson:
S23.9 |
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Title: Kamada Matahachi (鎌田又八) Scene: Kamada Matahachi of Matsuzaka fighting off wolves with a huge iron bar in the
Robinson:
S23.10 |
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Title: Keyamura Rokusuke (毛谷村六助) Scene: Keyamura Rokusuke spending
seven days under the Hikosan Gongen
Waterfall Robinson:
S23.11 |
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Title: Kinsuke (公助) Scene: Takenori Kinsuke seated with
his bow behind him and the hat of a palace guard before him Robinson:
S23.12 |
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Title: Kôju Maru (幸壽丸) Scene: Kôju Maru seated grasping a
dirk and about to perform seppuku
with travelers on a mountain behind him Robinson:
S23.13 NOTE: The
term “hara-kiri”, although more
common in English than “seppuku”,
is considered in |
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Title:
Komatsu Sammi Shigemori-kyô
(小松三位重盛卿) Scene:
Komatsu Sammi Shigemori-kyô
as a youth Robinson:
S23.14 |
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Title: Kuzunoki Masatsura (楠木正行) Scene: Kusunoki Masatsura in court
robes over armor beside an armillary sphere on a starry night Robinson:
S23.15 |
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Title: Karumo, the Dutiful Daughter of Matsuyama
(Matsuyama no Kojo Karumo, 松山の孝女刈摸) Scene: Karumo looking in astonishment in a mirror on the floor in
which she mistakes her own reflection for that of her dead mother Robinson:
S23.16 |
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Title: The
Dutiful Son of Mino ( Scene: The
dutiful youth from Robinson:
S23.17 |
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Title: The
Dutiful Daughter Nobu (Kojo Nobu, 孝女のぶ) Scene: Nobu with her sickle on the ground carrying a basket of
rushes for her aged mother Robinson:
S23.18 |
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Title: Sono, The Daughter of Yoshioka (Yoshioka musume Sono,
吉岡女園) Scene: Sono dressed as a nun and carrying a shakuhachi (traditional
Japanese bamboo flute) with three puppies at her feet Robinson:
S23.19 |
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Title: Suketoki of Yamato (Yamato-kuni Suketoki, 大和国佐時) Scene: Suketoki visiting with his dead parents who returned to him
in the form of butterflies Robinson:
S23.20 |
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Title: Suô no Naishi (周防の内侍) Scene: The
poetess, Suô no Naishi,
walking on a windy night Robinson:
S23.21 |
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Title: 摂？照田姫 Scene: Teruta-hime carrying a water bucket through the snow Robinson: S23.22 |
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Another state of the above
print |
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Title: Scene: Uneme of Atsuta exorcising a monstrous serpent from a
lake Robinson:
S23.23 |
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Title: The
Dutiful Child Yoji (Koshi Yoji, 孝子与次) Scene: Yoji working as a monkey-trainer to earn money to aid his
sick mother Robinson:
S23.24 |
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Title: Yuya (湯谷) Scene: Yuya holding a poem-card by a blossoming cherry tree Robinson:
S23.25 |
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Title: Zennojô of Shinano (Shinano kuni no Zennojô, 信濃国善之丞) Scene: Zennojô with two demons and one of the judges of hell
seeing a vision in a large mirror Robinson:
S23.26 |
“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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