The History of Print: Ukiyo-e

by Pippa Phillips
Editor of Prune Juice Journal of Senryu and Related Forms

Japanese printmaking has long been a medium for sharing art to a wide audience. RISO can be considered as a part of an enduring lineage of innovation in printing. To honor that legacy, we are launching a series of articles exploring the history of ukiyo-e (浮世絵)—a genre of art made by woodblock printing that flourished during the Edo period.

Ukiyo-e literally means “pictures of the floating world.” Once a phrase used to signify the bittersweet fleetingness of life, Ukiyo came to be associated with the pleasures of city life—kabuki theaters, teahouses, fashion, festivals, and beautiful courtesans. At this time, a merchant class strengthened by peace and prosperity began to partake in arts and pleasures normally reserved for the aristocratic classes.

Hishikawa Moronobu (1618-1694) is regarded as the first great master of Ukiyo-e. Born in Hoda to a well-respected embroiderer, Moronobu’s initial work consisted of designs for embroidery. After moving to Edo in the 1660’s, Moronobu studied both Tosa and Kanō-style painting, and then may have been mentored by the Kanbun Master, although this relationship is disputed by historians—in fact it isn’t clear whether the Kanbun Master was even one person or a collection of artists.

Moronobu drew from earlier traditions to create a distinctive style that would come to define the art form. His work was characterized by bold outlines and strong, confident brushwork, expressive figures posed gracefully, and scenes depicting everyday urban life.

Moronobu’s work, like other Ukiyo-e at the time, was monochromatic. He produced black-and-white woodblock prints knows as sumizuri-e. The prints were sometimes colored by hand afterwards. He transformed a modest form of illustration into a mature form of art sought by the merchant class.

One of his most famous works was the illustrated book Beauty Looking Back (Mikaeri Bijin-zu), was painted around 1690 and depicts a fashionable Edo-era woman glancing over her shoulder. In the painting, we can see the latest urban trends: intricate patterns on a red furisode, a tortoiseshell comb, and the latest hairstyle.

RISO Screen & Digital Products Corp. Is honored to welcome Pippa Phillips of Prune Juice Journal of Senryu & Related Forms as a contributor for our History of Print series.