絵本孝経|Picture Book of The Kōkyō [Ch. Xiao Qing], Canon of Filial Piety (Ehon kōkyō} 絵本孝経
1850, early winter (Kaei 3)
![絵本孝経|Picture Book of The Kōkyō [Ch. Xiao Qing], Canon of Filial Piety (Ehon kōkyō} 絵本孝経 by Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/as/thumb/picture-book-of-the-kky-ch-xiao-qing-canon-of-78640.webp)
Medium
Set of two woodblock printed books; ink on paper
Dimensions
each: 9 × 6 3/16 in. (22.8 × 15.7 cm)
Classification
Illustrated Books
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Foundation Gift, 2013
Accession Number
2013.738a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokusai’s *Picture Book of the Kōkyō* (Ehon kōkyō) offers a vivid visual interpretation of the ancient Chinese *Classic of Filial Piety* (Xiaojing), a foundational Confucian text emphasizing respect for parents and elders. Created in 1850 during Japan’s Edo period, this set of two woodblock-printed books uses simple ink-on-paper illustrations to make moral teachings accessible to a broad audience. Hokusai, celebrated for his dynamic ukiyo-e style, populates the pages with lively scenes of men engaged in daily work, reading, and interactions with horses—elements that ground abstract ...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (Japanese) · 1760 –1849
Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1760–1849 Tokyo (Edo)