ukiyo-e

Also known as ukiyoe, uikyo-ye, ukiyoye

Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term translates as "picture[s] of the floating world".

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Ukiyo-e is a form of Japanese art from the 17th to 19th centuries that produced woodblock prints and paintings depicting subjects like beautiful women, kabuki actors, wrestlers, historical scenes, landscapes, and nature. The art form is significant as a major genre that captured diverse aspects of Japanese culture and society during this period, with its name meaning "pictures of the floating world."

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Image: Setsuri - (shikishiban) Squid, Bream & Bonito.jpg

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Commons category: Ukiyo-e
inception: 1700-00-00
end time: 1900-00-00
Commons gallery: 浮世絵
native label: 浮世絵

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Article

26 sections

Contents

History
Early history
Emergence of ukiyo-e (late 17th – early 18th centuries)
Colour prints (mid-18th century)
Peak period (late 18th century)
Late flowering: flora, fauna, and landscapes (19th century)
Decline (late 19th century)
Introduction to the West
Descendant traditions (20th century)
Style
Themes and genres
Production
Paintings
Print production
Colour print production
Criticism and historiography
Collection and preservation
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
Academic journals
Books
Web
Further reading
External links

In 1603, the city of Edo (Tokyo) became the seat of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate. The class (merchants, craftsmen and workers), positioned at the bottom of the social order, benefited the most from the city's rapid economic growth. They began to indulge in and patronize the entertainment of kabuki theatre, geisha, and courtesans of the pleasure districts. The term ('floating world') came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted ukiyo-e works were popular with the class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them.