When one thinks of items representative of Japan the list inevitably includes kimono, sushi and bullet trains but one shouldn’t overlook the beauty of Japanese woodblock prints or ukiyo-e.  The word ukiyo refers to the world of common people and e means picture. This art form originated in the late sixteenth century in the ancient capital of Kyoto and the first ukiyo-e were not woodblock prints at all but paintings of everyday life.
Over time ukiyo-e developed into popular art form and the subjects of the prints broadened. The equivalent of today’s movie poster were Yakusha-e or woodblock prints of kabuki actors in popular roles and Bijin-ga illustrated beautiful women of Edo.
In the early days, wood block prints were one color with two and three color prints first created in the 1740’s followed by multi-color called nishiki-e (brocade picture) in the early Meiji period.  Hiroshige’s 100 Views of Edo created during the first half of the 1800’s combined images of daily life in Edo, now Tokyo, with iconic landscapes and places. Ukiyo-e offers a glimpse into life in early japan through its stunning visiual representation of the clothing, events and customs of the time.

How Ukiyo-e Are Created
Making traditional ukiyo-e (woodblock) prints is a complex process that involves the work of at least three artisans:

The ukiyo-e artist sketches the design with sumisen (ink lines)
The horishi (carver) pastes the sketch on a block made of wild cherry wo...