Kakkyo (Chinese: Guo Ju), from the series "Fashionable Japanese Versions of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety (Furyu Yamato nijushiko)"

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese ukiyo-e, Isoda Koryusai (active 1760s–1780s) crafted *Kakkyo (Chinese: Guo Ju)* around 1770–72 as part of his series *Fashionable Japanese Versions of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety (Furyu Yamato nijushiko)*. This color woodblock print reimagines a classic Chinese Confucian tale of Guo Ju, a destitute man whose profound filial devotion to his aging mother leads to a miraculous discovery of buried gold, sparing his family further hardship. Koryusai transforms the moral story into a stylish, contemporary Japanese scene, featuring elegant figures in fashionable attire amid everyday settings, blending timeless virtue with Edo-period glamour. Printed in the compact chuban format (25.8 × 18.8 cm), this work exemplifies the technical mastery of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, where intricate carved blocks were inked in multiple colors and precisely overlaid for vivid, nuanced hues. Koryusai's fluid lines and delicate shading highlight his expertise in bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), making moral tales accessible and alluring to urban audiences. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, it reflects how Japanese artists popularized Confucian ideals—central to samurai ethics and family life—through popular print culture during the Genroku era's cultural boom. This print invites visitors to appreciate not just artistic beauty, but the enduring cultural value of filial piety, playfully "Japanified" for a new generation.