No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother

by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Original Chikanobu (1838 - 1912) Japanese Woodblock Print
No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother

Series; Juxtaposed Pictures of Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety

Chikanobu's Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety - The Chinese scholar Guo Jujing wrote the book "The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Devotion" during the Yuan Dynasty. Inspired by the loss of his own parents, he scoured history for examples of the most respectful and devoted children. Alluding to the famous stories of the twenty-four children and their extraordinary devotion to their parents and relatives, Chikanobu's series juxtaposes the paragon in the upper panel with a more modern equivalent below. The artist plays off the old stories, offering serious parallels as well as lighthearted and humorous contrasts in the modern versions.

No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother - Attractive scene of a little boy gathering cherry blossoms petals for his mother. He bends over, absorbed in his task as his mother smiles down at him, carrying a basket in her hand. The inset shows the boy Cai Shun (Sai Jun in Japanese), who went into the forest to gather mulberries to feed his mother to survive. A pair of bandits grabbed him and threatened him, asking why he was collecting the berries in their territory. He replied that the black mulberries were sweet, so they were for his mother, while he would eat the sour red ones. He pleaded with them not to kill him or his mother would be alone, for his father had died many years before. Impressed with his honesty and dedication to his mother, the bandits gave him food and drink to take back to his mother. An interesting composition with lovely detail and soft shading.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Image Size - 13 1/4" x 8 5/8"

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Partially backed with paper. Slight toning and soiling, a few creases. Please see photos for details. Good overall.

No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)
No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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