Presented here are woodblock prints categorized as ukiyo-e. Use the prints tab in the toolbar above to navigate to all artists and other genres or visit recent print additions to see all newly added prints.
Ukiyo-e is defined in different ways; literally it means pictures ('e') of the floating world ('ukiyo'), a term derived from a Buddhist concept pertaining to the fleeting nature of life. But during the Edo period (1615-1868), ukiyo acquired a more nuanced meaning: the impermanence of our existence became a justification to indulge in the pleasures and entertainments that are available at this fleeting moment (for a price). As such, the 'floating world' encompassed the pleasure quarters, houses of assignation, teahouses, restaurants, leisure boats, and the theater districts; that is to say, the playgrounds of the urban sophisticates. Ukiyo-e, images of these pleasures, were marketed to the residents and visitors in the flourishing capital city of Edo and mercantile center of Osaka. With time, the term ukiyo-e would expand to refer to a genre of art, primarily woodblock prints, produced in the 17th through the 19th centuries depicting a wide array of subjects including kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, bijin (beauties), meisho (famous places), musha (warriors), and kacho (birds and flowers).
Scholten Japanese Art is open Monday - Friday, and some Saturdays by appointment only
Contact Katherine Martin at
(212) 585-0474 or email
[email protected]
to schedule a visit between 11am and 4pm preferably for no more than two individuals at a time.
site last updated
March 19, 2024
Scholten Japanese Art
145 West 58th Street, suite 6D
New York, New York 10019
ph: (212) 585-0474
fx: (212) 585-0475
Join our mailing list...