Ukiyo-E
/ˌuːkiˌjoʊ ˈeɪ/noun
A genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings depicting everyday life, entertainment, landscapes, and famous actors or courtesans, especially during the Edo period.
Did you know?Ukiyo originally meant the Buddhist “sorrowful world,” but Edo-period artists and pleasure districts transformed the homophonous phrase into “the floating world,” celebrating life’s impermanence.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Japanese Buddhist usage
Japanese
憂き世 (ukiyo)
“The sorrowful or troubled world of human existence”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
浮世 (ukiyo)
“The floating world; a Buddhist-inflected image of impermanence and transience”
15th–16th Century
Japanese
浮世
“A term increasingly associated with worldly pleasures and the fleeting nature of life”
17th Century
Japanese
浮世絵 (ukiyo-e)
“Pictures of the floating world, including scenes of theaters, courtesans, fashion, and urban entertainment”
18th–19th Century
Japanese
浮世絵
“A flourishing genre of paintings and mass-produced woodblock prints”
19th Century–Modern English
English
ukiyo-e
“A Japanese art genre recognized internationally, especially through artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige”