浮世絵

• Reading: うきよえ
• Romaji: ukiyo-e
• Kanji breakdown: 浮 (uki) — floating, transient | 世 (yo) — world, society | 絵 (e) — picture, painting
• Pronunciation: /ɯ.ki.jo.e/

Meaning

Ukiyo-e; a genre of Japanese woodblock print and painting from the Edo period, depicting scenes of everyday life, landscapes, kabuki actors, and courtesans.

A noun for one of Japan's most internationally recognised art forms. The name derives from 浮世 (the 'floating world' — the ephemeral pleasures of urban Edo life) and 絵 (picture). Masters such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro created works that profoundly influenced European Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters (Japonisme). In literary contexts, 浮世絵 appears as a symbol of Edo popular culture, impermanence, and the aesthetics of mono no aware.

Examples

1. 葛飾北斎の浮世絵は、ヨーロッパの画家たちに多大な影響を与えた。 The ukiyo-e of Katsushika Hokusai exerted an enormous influence on European painters.
2. 江戸時代の浮世絵は庶民文化の精粋を描き、版画技術の粋を集めたものだ。 Ukiyo-e of the Edo period depicted the essence of popular culture and represented the pinnacle of printmaking technique.
3. 浮世絵に描かれた風景は、当時の人々の暮らしや美意識を現代に伝えている。 The landscapes depicted in ukiyo-e convey to the present day the lives and aesthetic sensibilities of people of that era.

Usage Guide

Context: art history, cultural studies, museum contexts, literary symbolism

Tone: descriptive

Origin & History

From 浮世 (ukiyo, 'floating world' — the transient world of pleasure and entertainment) and 絵 (e, 'picture'). The Buddhist concept of 浮世 originally signified the sorrowful impermanence of existence; by the Edo period it had inverted to celebrate worldly pleasures.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal