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Twenty-four Instances of Filial Piety (Ehon nijūshi kō 絵本廿四孝)

Torii, Kiyotsune · 1774 · Edo : Iseya Jisuke, 伊勢屋治助 · 11 pictures

An Edo-period Japanese woodblock picture book of 1774, printed in Edo by Iseya Jisuke and illustrated by Torii Kiyotsune, retelling twenty-four Chinese tales of filial piety for a general readership. The double-page spreads pair lines of kana text with colour-washed scenes of snow, willows, pine trees, thatched huts and courtyard houses. A designer could draw on its restrained earth-toned palette, flat ukiyo-e figure outlines and compact pictorial framing of landscape and domestic interiors.

Filial piety

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library