Comment - This is a set of double pictures of a didactic paintings series, which contrasts the actions and lifestyles of young girls in two scenes of  "evil" and "virtuous", one above the other. The woodblock series was published in the early Meiji era, when former virtues seemed to dissolute within society.
The young young girls were receiving private instructions at a temple schools or other institutions, and they appear to be following their person's of authorities instructions. The upper pictures ("evil" or mischievous ["e", "恶"]) show the results, if not following her superiors recommendations.

The upper picture is always labeled "evil" or mischievous ("e", "恶"), written in black in a circular cassette on the upper right, left to the red title cassette. The lower picture contains the "virtuous" or "good" ( "zen", "善") kanji character written in white in the circular cassette on the upper right margin, left to the lower picture's red title cassette. All pictures show a set of three small puppet like persons with heads in form of the corresponding pictures for the kanji of 'evil' or 'good', painted with their appropriate colour of black or white.

Only print No. 12 contains kites. Two edo kaku kites are floating in the air. An old haggard is carrying a baby on her back, holding a crying small boy at her left hand. A precusor of a comic like speech bubble shows three red black puppets with the kanji for "evil" ("e", "恶") as their respective heads. Two young ladies on the right seem to be deriding the old haggard, even the dog of those girls is barking at her.

A Hiragana text below the old woman’s feet explains the scene. The series title is written in the red cassette upper right. The print set number is in the lower red cassette ( "12". "JuNi" "十二")


Series - The Double Mirror of Moral Teachings for Girls ("Musume kyōkun ni-men-kyō", "娘教訓二面鏡")


Artist - see Biography


Signature - "Shōsai Ikkei" ("昇斎一景") in the red cassette at lower left


Publisher - Tsutakichi (蔦吉版), rectangle lower right margin, with a censor-date seal above (cut)


Image Size -   34.9 X 22.9 cm (13 3/4" X 9 1/32") (cut)   


Condition - Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, single sheet, small vertical ôban; Tate-e (portrait);