Japanese Woodblock Prints

A collection of colorful woodblock prints depicting traditional scenes, actors, and daily life in historical Japan, showcasing intricate detailing and cultural motifs.

Tanizawa tanomo wakatō kihei iwafuji meshitsukai chiyo | Library of Congress

Itinerant rice-pounder (Tsukiya), 1801 - 1825, Woodcuts

A playful fight scene Utagawa, kuniyoshi (1797 1861)

The Actor Iwai Shijaku in the Role of Shirai Gonpachi, left sheet of a diptych. Date: first month 1864. Dimensions: 37.3 cm x 25.4 cm. Museum: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Author: TOYOHARA KUNICHIKA.

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Matsu no sita no tokei, Cockfight under a pine tree., Teisai, Hokuba, 1770-1844, artist, between 1804 and 1818, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 18 x 32.8 cm., Print shows a woman and two young men or boys watching a cockfight beneath a pine tree.

Kogakure no Kiritarō Saving Seiriki at Ōtawara. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892). Japan, 1884, November. Prints; woodblocks. Triptych; color woodblock print

Japan, Kunimasa, Utagawa, Bust portrait of Ichikawa Omezo, The actor Ichikawa Omezo in the role of Kudo Suketsune, holding his sword. Scene from the play Toshi otoko eho Soga, performed at the Ichimura-za in 1803., print, prints, Japan (collection), height 368 mm, width 252 mm, 1773 - 1810, print maker, printmaker, 1803 - 1803, first quarter 19th century, paper, papier, nishiki-e, color woodcut

Gonchūnagon Sadaie. Katsushika Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849). circa 1835-1836. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Courtisanes looking at the autumn moon, Katsushika Hokusai, After 1800 Courtisanes from the Ogiya, looking from a balcony to the moon on the horizon. Japan paper color woodcut Courtisanes from the Ogiya, looking from a balcony to the moon on the horizon. Japan paper color woodcut

New Year's Day of the Year of Horse, early 19th century, A Pupil of Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760 - 1849, 5 1/8 x 7 1/4 in. (13 x 18.4 cm) (image, sheet), Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century

Autumn Moon of the Strumpets (Kekoro no Aki no Tsuki), from the series Eight Views at the Foot of Ueno Hill (Toei fumoto hakkei) 1772-1777 Japan. Color woodblock print; chuban . Kitao Shigemasa

Genre Scene, 1 of 4 Genre Scene, 1 of 4, 19th century. Ink and color on paper, 10 1/16 x 9 1/16 in. (25.5 x 23 cm). Asian Art 19th century

A pair of actors by a lake in a storm. Colour woodcut by Yoshitaki, early 1860s.

Scene from The Tale of Genji: Chapter 4, "Evening Face" (Ygao) 17th century Tosa School This scene illustrates a celebrated chapter in The Tale of Genji, “Evening Faces (Ygao).” Genji stops to inquire after his old nurse and glimpses pretty foreheads in the humble house next to the nurse’s home. He looks up at white “evening faces,” flowers over the wall of the house, and asks his attendant Koremitsu to break one off. A pretty little girl comes out and hands him a heavily scented white fan, saying, “Put it on this. It is not much of a fan, but it is not much of a flower either.” Genji then begins his ephemeral and tragic affair with Ygao. Shortly thereafter, Ygao dies as a result of the jealousy of Rokuj Lady.. Scene from The Tale of Genji: Chapter 4, "Evening Face" (Ygao). Tosa School. Japan. 17th century. Matted painting; ink and color on silk. Edo period (1615-1868). Paintings

Six Jewel Rivers (Mu-Tamagawa). Artist: Sakai Oho (Japanese, 1808-1841). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Overall (a): 3 9/16 x 46 7/16 in. (9 x 118 cm)Overall (b): 3 9/16 x 46 15/16 in. (9 x 119.2 cm)Overall (c): 3 1/2 x 46 7/16 in. (8.9 x 118 cm)Overall (d): 3 9/16 x 48 13/16 in. (9 x 124 cm)Overall (e): 3 5/8 x 46 1/2 in. (9.2 x 118.1 cm)Overall (f): 3 1/2 x 46 7/8 in. (8.9 x 119.1 cm). Date: ca. 1839.The titles of the six small-format handscrolls in this set refer to the six rivers in various parts of Japan that are named Tamagawa, or Jewel River. Each scroll shows a horizontal expanse of landscape in which the main elements of the composition are gradually introduced and then slowly fade out in almost cinematic fashion. The theme of six beautiful rivers enjoyed great popularity in the nineteenth century among both poets and ukiyo-e printmakers. Sakai Oho, one of the last Rinpa artists of the Edo period, died when he was quite young, leaving only a small body of work. Many of his

Japan, Takatsuya Isuke, Kiyonaga, Torii, Ferry on the Sumida River, Ferry in which, standing, female temple attendant, seated, samurai with traveling hat next to which man with monkey, and crouching, woman in black and white striped kimono; in the background teahouses on the bank of the the Sumida., print, prints, Japan (collection), height 382 mm, width 258 mm, Japanese, 1752 - 1815-06-28, print maker, printmaker, 1785 - 1789, fourth quarter 18th century, paper, colour woodcut, Publication (Event), Publication, publisher

Emperor Xuanzong, 712-756, watching his favourite concubine, Yang Guifei, mount a horse, Tang dynasty scroll, Chinese, right side of composition

Courtisan and shamisen; The modern twelve months. Shamisen at the skirt from a kimono on which a bundle of paper; under cherry blossom; Against green background. Imagine for the back of a range.

Mount Goten, from the illustrated book Statue of Fugen (Fugen-zo) 1785-1795 Japan. Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from book . Kitagawa Utamaro

SHUTEND ō JI, BLATT 14..

House cleaning in preparation for the New Year 1796-1799 Japan. Color woodblock print; three left sheets of oban pentaptych . Kitagawa Utamaro

Japan: Liu Tang or Sekihatsuki Ryu To, one of the 'One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Water Margin', with banner and sword. Woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1863), 1827-1830. The Water Margin (known in Chinese as Shuihu Zhuan, sometimes abbreviated to Shuihu, known as Suikoden in Japanese, as well as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang in English, is a 14th century novel and one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese.

Japan, Shinagawaya, Yoshiiku, Utagawa, Tokaidochu kurige no Yuji uma, A trip on the Tokaido with Yaji, Nihonbo, Fox on horseback, below print - stamped, Title page with explanation (in Japanese) about the series; below it an image of a fox on horseback, accompanied by two scantily clad men; this print depicts the first resting place along the Tokaido., title print, prints, Japan (collection), height 379 mm, width 264 mm, Japanese, 1833 - 1904, print maker, printmaker, 1860 - 1860, third quarter 19th century, paper, nishiki-e, colour woodcut, colour woodblock, Publication (Event), Publication, publisher

Portrait of kabuki actor by Toshusai Sharaku, colour woodcut, 1794, active 1794-1795, Russia, St Petersburg, State Hermitage, 37x24,8

Six boys playing at IIving figures /Shinzeru no Ishdoro, from the series: New series of paintings showing what children IIke /Kadomo asobi kage e zukushi

A modern farce, 1868, Woodcuts, Color; bound in booklet with five others (109271-109276), Paper / Sheet 19 11/16 x 13 3/4 in. (50 x 35 cm)

Ichikawa Danjuro IX ALS KEZORI Kuemon, 1890 print Horizontal triptych with Ichikawa Danjuro IX in the role of the Pirate Kezori Kuemon looking at the full moon. paper actor (on the stage). pirate, corsair, buccaneer. full moon

Copy of Night Parade of One Hundred Demons from the Shinjuan Collection 18th century Mochizuki Gyokusen A parade of demonscomprised of household utensils, tools, and personal accessories like folding fans, coils of incense, and musical instruments come to life makes its way from right to left in this horizontal composition. The monstrous but humorous-looking creatures appear in all shapes and sizes, some taking on rather grotesque human features while others resemble animals, birds, or demonic creatures from Buddhist hell paintings. Passages of ink wash suggest the nighttime setting. At the conclusion of the handscroll, the demons turn and flee from the fiery light of the rising sun. The image is based on ancient legends about demons and goblins who parade by night through the streets and even the mansions of the old capital city (Kyoto), until the dawn causes them to return to their otherworldly realm. These beliefs combined with folktales claiming that worn out household utensils c

Chinese Children at Play Isei Japanese. Chinese Children at Play. Isei (Japanese, mid-16th century). Japan. Framed painting; ink and color on paper. Muromachi period (1392-1573). Paintings

Japan: 'The Ainu Bear-Killing Ritual', from Ezo Shima Kikan ('Unusual Views of Ezo Hokkaido'), painted handscroll, Hata Awagimaro (1764-1808), c. 1840

Hyoshigi o utsu bushi, Samurai striking a beat with clappers., Utagawa, Kuniyoshi, 1798-1861, artist, between 1830 and 1844, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 12.2 x 12.5 cm., Print shows a samurai with a pair of clappers, a man pulling a rope, and a man fallen on the ground in front of the samurai.

Miura no Ōsuke. Yanagawa Shigenobu (Japan, 1787-1832). Japan, circa 1828. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print; surimono

Scroll 1. Scene 6. 1500 - 1525. text. Illustrations. Spencer Collection

Standing Woman. Artist: Ryukado (Japanese, active 1740s). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 28 11/16 in. × 13 in. (72.8 × 33 cm)Overall with mounting: 60 13/16 × 14 3/4 in. (154.5 × 37.4 cm)Overall with knobs: 60 13/16 × 17 1/16 in. (154.5 × 43.3 cm). Date: 1740s. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Scroll 2, scene 6. 1650 - 1699. Illustrations, Manuscripts. Spencer Collection

The Defeat of Michihide by the Old Retainers. Utagawa Yoshitsuya (Japan, 1822-1866). Japan, 1864. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Oniwakamaru subduing the giant carp 1825-1840 Japan. Color woodblock print; shikishiban diptych, surimono . Totoya Hokkei

Kabuki theatre actor Bando Mitsugoro. Kabuki, a highly stylised Japanese dance-drama. Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Japanese artist and printmaker. Coloured woodblock print.

Kakuju in kawacho, utagawa kunisada (i), 1852 print Actor in the role of the old woman Kakuju, with white hair and a headgear, a sword in the right hand; rectangular cartouche with lanterns and umbrellas; Around cartouche with a face on the river and bank in rain. The actor is a design by Kunisada, the Cartouches of Hiroshige. Japan paper nishiki-e / color woodcut portrait of actor, actress. female impersonation by actor. old woman

God of Thunder (Raijin), mid-1600s. Studio of Tawaraya Sōtatsu (Japanese, c. 1570-c. 1640). Six-panel folding screen, ink, color and gold on paper; image: 150.4 x 343 cm (59 3/16 x 135 1/16 in.); overall: 162.4 x 355.8 cm (63 15/16 x 140 1/16 in.); panel: 162.4 x 59.2 cm (63 15/16 x 23 5/16 in.); with frame: 165.6 x 358.6 cm (65 3/16 x 141 3/16 in.).

Japan, Utaba, Haikai, Shinsai, Ryûryûkyo, Kasen awase, A comparison with poems, Sadae, The turban shell, Turban shell, A boy moors a boat while a woman looks on. In the background between the clouds a village with a temple, on which a stork's nest. In the temple there was a spiral staircase, the shape of which was reminiscent of the shell mentioned in the title. With two poems., print, picture, surimono, prints, Japan (collection), height 138 mm, width 188 mm, Japanese, 1764 - 1825, print maker, printmaker, 1809 - 1809, first quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, blind printing, 1753 - 1829, poet

Japan, Tamenobu, Fujikawa, Hizakurige, Fujisawa, verso - stamped, Passengers on the ferry from Fujisawa to Arai. This print depicts the chapter from the Hizakurige in which Kitahachi tries to kill a snake during the crossing and accidentally throws both the snake and his sword overboard., print, prent, prints, Japan (collection), height 246 mm, width 358 mm, Japanese, print maker, prentmaker, 1912 - 1916, first quarter 20st century, first quarter 20th century, paper, colour woodcut, colour woodblock print

Chinese people playing with hot air balloons. Brush drawing by Chinese artist, ca. 1850.

The Girl Saku Rescuing a Baby from the River. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892). Japan, 1875, April. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Enjoying the Evening Cool near Ryogoku Bridge (Ryogoku bashi yusuzumi uki-e). Okumura Masanobu; Japanese, 1686-1764. Date: 1735-1745. Dimensions: 44.6 x 65.5 cm. Hand-colored woodblock print; beni-e, horizontal o-oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

'Country is Run by Devoted'. China, late 19th - early 20th century. Dimensions: 60x35 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Ink painting titled 'Minamoto Yoshitsune in training' by Kawanabe Kysai (1831-1889) Japanese artist. Dated 1879

Complete View of a Courtesan House in Tokyo, 1870, 3rd lunar month, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi; Publisher: Masadaya Heikichi, Japanese, 1839 - 1892, 14 1/2 × 10 in. (36.83 × 25.4 cm) (sheet, each, approx., vertical ōban triptych), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century

During late 1920s and 1930s Japan, a new poster style developed that reflected the growing influence of the masses in Japanese society. These art posters were strongly influenced by the emerging political forces of Communism and Fascism in Europe and the Soviet Union, adopting a style that incorporated bold slogans with artistic themes ranging from Leftist socialist realism through Stateism and state-directed public welfare, to Militarism and Imperialist expansionism. Though diverse in their messages, all bear the stamp of the ovebearing proletarian art of the time, reflecting shades of Nazi Germany, Socialist Russia and Fascist Italy in the Far East.

Views of Foreigners (Gaikokujin no zu) 1861 Utagawa Yoshitomi. Views of Foreigners (Gaikokujin no zu) 53702

Raja Hunting/Raja Making Love Indian. Raja Hunting/Raja Making Love, ca. 1825. Ink on paper, sheet: 5 1/2 x 9 1/4 in. (14.0 x 23.5 cm). Asian Art ca. 1825

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (January 1, 1798 - April 14, 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting. He is associated with the Utagawa school. The range of Kuniyoshi's preferred subjects included many genres: landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals. He is known for depictions of the battles of samurai and legendary heroes. His artwork was affected by Western influences in landscape painting and caricature. Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189) was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo (the third son of Yoshitomo) founded the Kamakura shogunate. He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai fighters in the histor

The Geisha Oiro Politely Refusing an Old Man's Proposal. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892). Japan, 1875, April. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Cranes left of a pair, 18th century, Unknown Japanese, 62 × 137 5/8 in. (157.48 × 349.57 cm) (image)68 3/4 × 143 7/8 × 3/4 in. (174.63 × 365.44 × 1.91 cm) (outer frame), Color and ink on gold, Japan, 18th century

Musicians, 1793, (1924). Creator: Takehara Shunchosai.

From a series of sixteen scenes of the death and burial of a man in Japan. Date: 19th century. Japan watercolor on silk or paper. Museum: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Scroll 3, scene 6. 1650 - 1699. Illustrations, Manuscripts. Spencer Collection

Two Women in a Garden ca. 1789 Torii Kiyonaga Japanese. Two Women in a Garden 37250

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Detail from an anonymous Song Dynasty (960-1279) painted scroll. In China, silk worm farming was originally restricted to women, and many women were employed in the silk-making industry. Even though some saw this development of a luxury product as useless, silk provoked such a craze among high society that the laws were used to regulate and limit its use to the members of the imperial family. For approximately a millennium, the right to wear silk was reserved for the emperor and the highest dignitaries. Later, this right gradually extended to other classes of Chinese society. Silk began to be used for decorative means and also in less luxurious ways: musical instruments, fishing, and bow-making. Peasants did not have the right to wear silk until the Qing dynasty.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724 July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.

Nikki Bennosuke with Umbrella. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892). Japan, 1866, 6th month. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Pages from the New Illustrated Edition of 'Tales of the Water Margin. Katsushika Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849). 1805-1835. Books. Double-page book illustration; black and white woodblock print

Delegates, Bilibin - Russian Tales

Scenes from the Four Seasons, 18th century, Hishikawa Mitsukuni, 13 1/2 × 261 5/8 in. (34.29 × 664.53 cm) (image)13 1/2 × 281 7/8 in. (34.29 × 715.96 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 18th century

Portraits of Horibe Yatsubei and Horibe Yajibel by Toyokuni Utagawa (1786-1830). A scene from the drama 'The Storehouse of the Loyalties'. The two figures in the image are the actors Horibe Yatsubei (Yasybei) and Horibe Yajibe. Colour woodcut.

Low Tide at Susaki - A Set of Five (Shiohi goban no uchi) 1823-1835 Japan. Color woodblock prints; shikishiban pentaptych, surimono . Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (30 April 1839 9 June 1892) (also named Taiso Yoshitoshi) was a Japanese artist and Ukiyo-e woodblock print master. He is widely recognized as the last great master of Ukiyo-e, a type of Japanese woodblock printing. He is additionally regarded as one of the form's greatest innovators. His career spanned two eras the last years of Edo period Japan, and the first years of modern Japan following the Meiji Restoration. Like many Japanese, Yoshitoshi was interested in new things from the rest of the world, but over time he became increasingly concerned with the loss of many aspects of traditional Japanese culture, among them traditional woodblock printing. By the end of his career, Yoshitoshi was in an almost single-handed struggle against time and technology. As he worked on in the old manner, Japan was adopting Western mass reproduction methods like photography and lithography. Nonetheless, in a Japan that was turning away from its own past, he almost singlehandedly ma

De Laatste Aanval Van de Kusunoki Te Shijonawate, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1847 print Four warriors from the Kusunoki Clan, try to stand in a arrow rain of the Ashikaga troops in ShijonaWate. Left half of a horses. paper nishiki-e / color woodcut battle

Kaga no Chūjō. Utagawa Yoshimune II (Japan, 1863-1941). Japan, September 1893. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Moon after Snow at Ryōgoku. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japan, Edo, 1797-1858). Japan, 1843, 2nd month. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Fujisawa, 1810, Katsushika Hokusai; Publisher: Tsuruya Kinsuke, Japanese, 1760 - 1849, 4 3/16 × 4 1/8 in. (10.7 × 10.4 cm) (image, sheet, square koban), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century

Japan, Shinsai, Shibata, Bird in cage, endpaper - stamped, Octogonal print in album with 39 prints., album page, print, prints, Japan (collection), height 223 mm, width 287 mm, Japanese, 1858, print maker, 1880 - 1890, fourth quarter 19th century, paper, color woodcut

Five Men Doing the Work of Ten Bodies (Gonin jushin no hataraki). Utagawa Yoshifuji; Japanese, 1828-1887. Date: 1861. Dimensions: . Color woodblock print; oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Count Kuroda Kiyotaka (16 October 1840 - 23 August 1900) was a Japanese politician of the Meiji era, and the second Prime Minister of Japan from 30 April 1888 to 25 October 1889. Count Inoue Kaoru (16 January 1836 - 1 September 1915) was a Japanese statesman and a member of the Meiji oligarchy that ruled Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Nishiki-e (lit. 'brocade picture') refers to Japanese multi-colored woodblock printing; this technique is used primarily in ukiyo-e ('pictures of the floating world'). It was invented in the 1760s, and perfected and popularized by the printmaker Suzuki Harunobu, who produced a great many nishiki-e prints between 1765 and his death five years later. Previously, most prints had been in black-and-white, colored by hand, or colored with the addition of one or two color ink blocks. A nishiki-e print is created by carving a separate woodblock for every color, and using them in a stepwise fashion. An engraver by the name of Kinroku is credited with t

Japan: Hikifuda advertising poster depicting a Treasure Ship. It has been left blank so that the printer can add the text required by the purchaser in the column on the left hand side. Late Meiji (1868-1912) period

Sangoku Meiken Tessen-ka 4ura 5omote. Illustrations. 1691. Spencer Collection

ShutendōJI, BLATT 16..

Street Scenes in Times of Peace (Taiping fenghui tu). Zhu Yu (Zhu Junbi); Chinese, 1293-1365. Date: 1293-1365. Dimensions: 26 × 790 cm (10 1/4 × 23 ft., 11 in.). Handscroll; ink and colors on paper. Origin: China. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892). Japan, 1885-1892. Books. Album; color woodblock prints

Under a summer moon in Oshu (Mustu Province), Princess Nadeshiko, who had been fulling (finishing) silk, is attacked by the robber Tsuchikuro. She parries his sword thrust by throwing a fulling mallet into his face (1885). Toyohara Chikanobu () (1838-1912), better known to his contemporaries as Yoshu Chikanobu (), was a prolific woodblock artist of Japan's Meiji period. His works capture the transition from the age of the samurai to Meiji modernity. In 1875 (Meiji 8), he decided to try to make a living as an artist. He travelled to Tokyo. He found work as an artist for the Kaishin Shimbun. In addition, he produced nishiki-e artworks. In his younger days, he had studied the Kano school of painting; but his interest was drawn to ukiyo-e. Like many ukiyo-e artists, Chikanobu turned his attention towards a great variety of subjects. His work ranged from Japanese mythology to depictions of the battlefields of his lifetime to women's fashions. As well as a number of the other artists

Autumn Festival Autumn Festival, ca. 1630. Pair of six-fold screens, ink, gold, and color on paper, each panel: 36 3/4 x 19 in. (93.3 x 48.3 cm). Asian Art ca. 1630

Two Men Wearing Green Coats, also Straw Hats with Brown Bows. Artist: Yashima Gakutei (Japanese, 1786-1868). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 7 7/8 x 6 1/3 in. (20 x 16.1 cm). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Japan: Woodblock print depicting a variety of vehicles, c. 1865. The ukiyo-e genre of art flourished in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term ukiyo-e translates as 'pictures of the floating world'.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724 July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.

Amago buyuden 1880-1890 Japan. Color woodblock print . Hosai Shugetsu

Beneath the Willow, after 1778. Tsukioka Sessai (Japanese, 1839). Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper; overall: 94 x 33.2 cm (37 x 13 1/16 in.). Two young women cool themselves by a river as a willow blows in the breeze. One crouches down to rinse a hand towel, while the other sits with her chin balanced on her fan. Beside her is a black lacquer tray with a floral design in gold, holding her tobacco kit. Tsukioka Tessai was an Osaka-based ukiyo-e artist who was especially respected for his representations of beautiful women (bijin). The court bestowed upon him the rank Bridge of the Law (hokyo) in 1778, and he was eventually elevated in rank to Eye of the Law (hogen).

Spirit of a Lion Mask. Toyohara Kunichika (Japan, 1835-1900). Japan, 1893-1903. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print; embossing, brass

Siyah Kalem or 'Black Pen' is the name given to the 15th century school of painting attributed to Mehmed Siyah Kalem. Nothing is known of his life, but his work indicates that he was of Central Asian Turkic origin, and thoroughly familiar with camp and military life. The paintings appear in the 'Conquerors Albums', so named because two portraits of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror are present in one of them. The albums are made up of miniatures taken from manuscripts of the 14th, 15th, and early 16th centuries, and one series of paintings is inscribed 'work of Master Muḥammad Siyah Kalem'. Something of the style and techniques of Chinese paintings is apparent in these, and an acquaintance with Buddhist art, particularly in the depictions of grotesque demonic figures. It seems likely that certain paintings contained in the 'Conqueror's Albums' are of Chinese origin and may have been used as stylistic guides for painters in the Siyah Kalem tradition.

Drawing, One of Sixteen Scenes of the Death and Burial of a Man; japan watercolor on silk or paper; 1908-17-14

Narihira: The Mirror Scene (Narihira kagami no dan), from the series "Famous Scenes from Japanaese Puppet Plays (Yamato irotake)". Okumura Masanobu; Japanese, 1686-1764. Date: 1700-1711. Dimensions: 27.2 x 39.1 cm. Woodblock print; oban, sumizuri-e. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Japanese hand coloured woodcut. Image shows a ship in harbor, in London England. Women and men are walking and riding horses in the foreground. C 1868

The Night Attack, Second Episode: Rōnin Breaking into the House. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japan, Edo, 1797-1858). Japan, circa 1835-1839. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Pages from the New Illustrated Edition of 'Tales of the Water Margin. Katsushika Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849). 1805-1835. Books. Double-page book illustration; black and white woodblock print

View of the Gift of the Emperor's Gift Cup. Artist: Yoshu (Hashimoto) Chikanobu (Japanese, 1838-1912). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 14 in. × 9 1/4 in. (35.6 × 23.5 cm). Date: Sept. 5, 1877 (Meiji 10). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Meditation by Moonlight Toshiyoshi (19th C.) Private Collection

Sumo Wrestler Takes on a Foreigner, Japanese Prints - Yokohama Namban - Foreigners

'Portrait of a Lady Donor. Fragment of a Scroll'. China, 10th century. Dimensions: 20,5x22 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

One bullet and the molds are adjusted, vintage engraving. One bullet and the molds are adjusted, vintage engraved illustration. Magasin Pittoresque 1857. Copyright: xZoonar.com/PatrickxGuenettex 10673865

One Person, Six Expressions (Hitori rokumenso) 1884 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban . Kobayashi Kiyochika

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