Ukiyo-e (浮世絵, Ukiyo-e, meaning “Pictures of the floating world”) is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th century, featuring motifs of landscapes, the theater and pleasure quarters.
Ukiyo-e (浮世 and 憂世) or the Floating World is a term used to describe many aspects of life, including – but not limited to – the pleasure-seeking lifestyle and culture of Edo Period Japan (1600–1867).
Ukiyo refers to the impetuous young culture that bloomed in the urban centers of Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Osaka, and Kyoto that were a world unto themselves. It is an ironic allusion to the homophone term “Sorrowful World” (憂き世), the earthly plane of death and rebirth from which Buddhists sought release.
The art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan culture of Edo during the second half of the 17th century, originating with the single-color works of Hishikawa Moronobu in the 1670s. At first, only Indian ink was used, then some prints were manually colored with a brush, but in the 18th century Suzuki Harunobu developed the technique of polychrome printing to produce nishiki-e.
Ukiyo-e are still produced today and are influential in many ways, inspiring, for example, manga and anime.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e
