Ukiyo-e
The word ukiyo-e can be translated as “images of the floating world”. It refers to a collection of paintings and prints created during the Edo period (1603-1867) by numerous artists from several schools. Originally, ukiyo was a term used in Buddhism to express the impermanence of the world. Its meaning evolved to incorporate hedonism, particularly in the celebrated novel by Asai Ryōi (?-1691), Tales of the Floating World.
This way of seeing life, so specific to Edo culture, quickly found expression in art. The beginnings of the movement came to life in luxurious 17th-century screens depicting cities and their inhabitants, theatre and prostitution districts, and annual festivals with colourful, working-class, joyful crowds. Iwasa Matabei (1578-1650), a screen painter, is considered the founder of ukiyo-e.
Little by little, moving away from urban depictions, painters began to focus on female figures. They highlighted the beauty of the fabrics, headdresses, and grace of the models, thus creating a new genre of painting. Amongst them, Hishikawa Moronobu (?-1694) was the first to produce woodblock prints on separate sheets in response to the tastes and financial means of all the capital’s inhabitants. This was the start of ukiyo-e prints!
Originally in black but sometimes enhanced with an orange brushstroke, woodblock prints evolved with the introduction of red, and then black lacquer. The development of notched prints (kentō) in the mid-18th century allowed for the printing of several shades in a single print and paved the way for the creation of polychrome “brocade” prints (nishiki-e). Suzuki Harunobu is credited with this invention in 1765. If the first polychrome prints were expensive, publishers quickly understood the value of these images, which could be produced rapidly, and were potentially a sought-after consumer product. Many manufacturing workshops were established, as well as influential publishing houses constantly on the lookout for new subjects and painters. Two of the most important were that of Tsutaya Jūzaburō (1750-1797), who revealed the talents of Utamaro and Sharaku, and of course the publishing house of Nishimuraya Yohachi, who published Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. However, they also had to contend with strict government censorship: since 1790, only approved works bearing the official stamp could be published.