Japanese prints, or ukiyo-e, capture the very essence of Japan's culture and history. Literally translated as "pictures of the floating world," ukiyo-e flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries, a time of cultural and economic boom in Japan. 

Originating in China, the technique of xylography, or wood engraving, forms the basis for the creation of Japanese prints. Initially used in Buddhist art, it became a major art form during the Edo period.

The prints depicted the fleeting beauties of everyday life, stunning landscapes, and ancient legends, becoming timeless artistic treasures. Their intricate details and vibrant colors have influenced artists worldwide, from Vincent van Gogh to Claude Monet.

The art of Woodblock printing

Relief woodcutting had a profound influence on artistic style, favoring clean contours and solid colors. This process gave rise to a stylized art form, where shapes were refined and lines became elegant arabesques.

Colors, for their part, played a crucial role in creating visual rhythm, modulating space and accentuating volumes. The refined taste of the clientele and the creative genius of the artists enabled this technique to evolve significantly.

The creation of a print was the fruit of collaboration between four experts: the publisher, who orchestrated the entire process; the artist, who produced the initial drawing, sometimes inspired by an amateur or a patron; the engraver, who transposed the drawing onto wood; and the printer, who produced the final impression. These prints were then sold in bookshops or by hawkers, contributing to their diffusion and popularity.

Important aspects of the creative process : 

• The initial drawing is done in Indian ink (sumi)
• The engraver works on cherry wood: a hard, tightly-fibered wood.
• Some prints required as many as fifteen engraved plates, so varied were the colors.
• The publisher and artist give indications of the color gradations.

The Formats of Japanese Prints

Ukiyo-e comes in several standardized formats, each with its unique characteristics and charm. The orientation of prints can be yoko-e (“landscape” orientation) or tate-e (“portrait” orientation). The tate-e orientation is the most common, except in the ōban format (at least in the case of landscape prints fūkei-ga by Hokusai and Hiroshige, which mostly use ōban prints with a yoko-e orientation).

• Chūban (about 28 × 20 cm): This smaller format was often used for scenes of daily life or portraits of kabuki actors. Its use allowed for greater mass production. Suzuki Harunobu often used this small format. 

See : Night Rain at the Double-Shelf Stand, from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei) by Suzuki Harunobu

 

• Ōban (about 37 x 25 cm): The oban format is perhaps the most well-known and widely used for landscapes and portraits. It provided enough space for details while remaining relatively easy to handle.

The Great Wave by Hokusai  is an Oban in landscape orientation, so Oban yoko-e

 

• Aiban (about 23 x 30 cm): An intermediate format often used for more complex compositions or dynamic scenes that required a perfect balance between space and detail.

Each format allowed artists to express different aspects of their artistic vision, influencing the composition and visual impact of the work.

Format summary

Aiban : 340 x 220 mm
Chûban : 260 x 190 mm
Hashira-e : 730 x 120 mm
Hosoban : 330 x 145 mm
Nagaban : 515 x 230 mm
Ôban : 380 x 255 mm
Ô-Ôban ou Grand ôban : 580 x 320 mm
Ôtanzaku : 370 x 170 mm
Shikishiban : 230 x 230 mm
Tate-e : vertical print
Yoko-e : horizontal print

Types of Ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e can be divided into several categories, each representing a distinct aspect of Japanese society and culture:

Bijin-ga: Prints of beautiful women, celebrating the grace and elegance of courtesans, geishas, and women of the people. These works captivated audiences with their beauty and refinement.

What the experts have to say : 

Utamaro expanded the scope of the bijin-ga, prints of beautiful women, by removing the traditional idealizing constraints of the genre and placing beautiful women in the context of ordinary life. Among the themes he explored in this broadening of his subject matter were the activities of the kitchen. 

The Met 

Yakusha-e: Portraits of kabuki theater actors, often in dramatic poses and costumes, capturing the energy and emotion of traditional Japanese theater.

One of the most iconic examples: Ōtani Oniji III in the Role of the Servant Edobei by Sharaku 

Tōshūsai Sharaku's yakusha-e are legendary because of their striking, almost exaggerated realism. Unlike other artists who often idealized their subjects, Sharaku captured the raw emotion and character of kabuki actors with bold lines and dramatic expressions. His ability to convey the intensity and personality of each actor made his work stand out. The detail and psychological depth in his portraits bring an unparalleled dynamism to the world of ukiyo-e. His prints feel alive, almost as if the actors could leap off the paper and onto the stage.

 

Fukei-ga: Serene and majestic landscapes, illustrating famous views of Japan, from sacred mountains like Mount Fuji to historic bridges and tranquil temples.

Shunga: Erotic prints, a more intimate and often humorous genre, exploring themes of love and desire.

Kachō-ga or kachō-e: Depictions of birds and flowers, capturing the ephemeral beauty of nature with particular attention to detail and color.

Ohara Koson and Hiroshige are to me the absolute masters of this type of woodblock print. Hokusai also left some remarkable works in this genre. This term can be used to describe prints as well as books such as the Ehon mushi erami painted by Utamaro. 

Color and Evolution of Printing Techniques

The introduction of color in Japanese prints marked an artistic revolution. Initially, ukiyo-e prints were mainly monochrome, using the sumizuri-e technique, which relied on black ink (Sumi varies from grey to deep black).

By the mid-18th century, artists began experimenting with colored pigments, giving rise to benizuri-e, prints tinted with pink and green.

Evolution to Nishiki-e

The significant evolution was the arrival of nishiki-e or "brocade prints" in the 1760s, thanks to Suzuki Harunobu. This technique allowed for the printing of multiple colors using several woodblocks, one for each hue. The process was meticulous and required great precision to align each block perfectly (known as kento) to achieve a cohesive and vibrant image.

Impact of Colors

 

The use of color transformed prints into vibrant and detailed works of art. Artists like Utamaro and Sharaku could emphasize emotional nuances and textures in their portraits of women and actors. Hokusai and Hiroshige's landscapes gained depth and realism, with each season and time of day represented by specific palettes.

Techniques and Pigments

The pigments used were of mineral, vegetable, or animal origin, and each color had cultural and symbolic significance:

Indigo (ai) for depth and stability.

Vermilion red (shu) for vitality and strength.

Yellow (ki) often associated with light and energy.

The use of these colors became more refined over time, with artists developing techniques like bokashi (gradation), allowing subtle transitions of hue and adding an extra dimension of realism and beauty to their works.

Shin-hanga : the renewal of japanese printmaking

Shin-hanga, literally "new prints," is an artistic movement that emerged in the early 20th century, revitalizing the tradition of Japanese prints.

This movement combines classical ukiyo-e techniques with Western influences, particularly in the use of perspective and light. Shin-hanga artists, such as Kawase Hasui, Hiroshi Yoshida and Ohara Koson, emphasize landscapes, beautiful women, and scenes of modern life, while maintaining a traditional Japanese aesthetic. Shin-hanga works are known for their delicate execution and ability to capture fleeting moments with great sensitivity.

This renewal owes much to the vision and energy of publisher Watanabe Shozaburo. At the beginning of the 20th century, the print market in Japan was in steep decline, but he knew that foreigners were beginning to know and appreciate the work of Japanese artists. He wanted to offer a romantic, idealized vision of Japan, at a time when the country was undergoing upheavals that were impacting age-old traditions. 

Mount Fuji obviously had a special place in this operation to attract potential foreign buyers.

The Process of Creating a Japanese Print

Creating a Japanese print is a meticulous and collaborative process, involving several specialized artisans:

The Artist: It all starts with the artist who creates an initial drawing on thin paper, often washi. This master drawing is then glued to a wooden block.

The Engraver: The engraver carves the design into the wood, removing the unwanted parts and creating a relief block. Each color requires a different woodblock, so for a multi-colored print, several blocks are needed.

The Printer: The printer applies ink to the engraved woodblock and places a sheet of washi paper on top. They use a tool called a baren to press the paper against the block, transferring the ink. This process is repeated for each color, carefully aligning each block to create the final image.

The Publisher: Once the print is complete, it is often sold by a specialized publisher, who plays a key role in promoting and popularizing the works.

 

Notable Works by Renowned Artists

Katsushika Hokusai:

 The Great Wave off Kanagawa: This iconic print is part of the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji." The force of nature is captured with remarkable intensity, the threatening waves contrasting with the calm of Mount Fuji on the horizon.

The Hokusai Manga (北斎漫画, "Hokusai's Sketches") offer wonderful examples of the master's versatility through landscapes, fauna, flora and the spirit world. 

Hokusai manga volumes 8, 9 and 10 on Gallica

Utagawa Hiroshige:

 The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō: Hiroshige created a series of landscapes illustrating the stations along the Tōkaidō road, connecting Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto. His works, like "Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake," show unmatched mastery of atmosphere and movement.

Asakusa Ricefields and Torinomachi Festival:

In Hiroshige's portrayal of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters during its busiest day, the artist contrasts the bustling festivities below with a serene view from a brothel's upper story. While the procession of the Torinomachi Festival moves across the distant Asakusa Ricefields, the atmosphere of the room is quiet, punctuated only by the courtesan's belongings. These delicate items, including tissue paper discreetly referred to as "paper for the honorable act," symbolize the personal and commercial intertwining of the courtesan's life amidst the festival's public spectacle.. 

Resting on a window ledge, a white cat gazes out through a barred window over the Asakusa rice-fields below. A flock of birds descend towards Mount Fuji in the southwest and a long silhouetted line of a festival procession extends across the paddies. Here was the sight of Otori Shrine, worshipped particularly by the commoner class in the Edo period for commercial favour and fortune, and communally celebrated in the Torinomachi festival in November.

Christie's auction 

Ohara Koson:

Chickadee on paulownia branch. A specialist in kachō-ga, Koson captured the delicacy of flowers and the majestic presence of birds, creating prints filled with poetry and detail.

High-Definition print here 

Kawase Hasui:

 Snow Day at Zojo-ji: A representative of the shin-hanga movement, Hasui modernized ukiyo-e with a renewed approach to landscapes, emphasizing light effects and seasonal changes.

Available in high-definition

 

Kawanabe Kyosai:

Fantasies and Caricatures: Kyosai stands out for his satirical works and prints of fantastical creatures. His ability to blend humor, social critique, and boundless imagination makes him unique in the world of ukiyo-e.

Kawanabe Kyosai, Animal sketch with Shintoist frog :*

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Minamoto no Yorimitsu Cuts at the Earth Spider

 

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Octopus games

Each of these categories and works illustrates the diversity and richness of Japanese prints. Ukiyo-e are more than just images; they are windows into the soul of Japan, reflecting both the splendor and simplicity of life.