Wang Pu (O ho), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety in China (Morokoshi nijushiko)"
c. 1848/50
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.2 × 17.8 cm (9 15/16 × 7 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149898
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniy, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, depicts *Wang Pu (O ho)* from the series *Twenty Paragons of Filialiety in China (Morokoshi nijushiko)*, created around 1848–50. Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), renowned for his dynamic warrior prints and imaginative compositions, here turns to moral exemplars from Chinese Confucian lore. The chuban format—compact at 25.2 × 17.8 cm—made these affordable prints popular in Edo-period Japan, allowing widespread dissemination of ethical tales. The series illustrates legendary acts of filial devotion, with Wang Pu embodying o...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...