Fox-fire of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety
- Date:
- 1892 (this edition Feb. 1902)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
"Fox-fire of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety" (1892) depicts fox spirits (kitsune) appearing as supernatural flames or ghostly fire—kitsunebi—in a scene that combines Chinese moral exemplum with Japanese folklore. The Twenty-four Paragons were a famous collection of stories about filial piety originating in China, adapted throughout East Asia as moral instruction. Yoshitoshi's treatment adds a layer of supernatural imagery drawn from Japanese fox lore, in which foxes serve as messengers of the Inari deity and practitioners of magical transformation.
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Color woodblock print
Hebizukai
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Fox-fire of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1892 (this edition Feb. 1902).
Fox-fire of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety depicts animals.
Fox-fire of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety measures 36.8 × 25.4 cm (Oban format).