Min Ziqian (Binshiken), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror for Children (Nijushiko doji kagami)"
- Date:
- c. 1842
- Medium:
- Woodblock print; oban, keyblock proof impression
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Min Ziqian (Japanese: Binshiken) endured his cruel stepmother's mistreatment without complaint — wearing thin reed-flower stuffing in his winter coat while his half-brothers wore warm cotton — and when his father discovered the deception, Min begged him to keep his stepmother rather than see three children go cold. This oban keyblock proof (c. 1842) from the "Mirror for Children" series preserves the composition before color printing: the confident outline reveals Kuniyoshi's design at its clearest.
More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman as the Hero Taisō in Palanquin Holding a Pipe
c. 1830
Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets
Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
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Frequently Asked Questions
Min Ziqian (Binshiken), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror for Children (Nijushiko doji kagami)" was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) in c. 1842.
Yes — Min Ziqian (Binshiken), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror for Children (Nijushiko doji kagami)" is part of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror for Children (Nijushiko doji kagami) series by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
Min Ziqian (Binshiken), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror for Children (Nijushiko doji kagami)" depicts children and daily life.