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''Ukiyo-e'' would continue to develop in the [[Kamigata]] area (i.e. [[Osaka]] and [[Kyoto]]), and would produce its own distinct styles and great masters, but the true core trend of development and prosperity arguably took place in Edo. Throughout the period, Kamigata remained the center for painting and Edo the center for flourishing production of woodblock prints, though both regions of course saw the production of innumerable works in both media. Even today, ''ukiyo-e'' at its full height of development is referred to as "Edo-e" (Edo pictures) in the Kamigata region.
''Ukiyo-e'' would continue to develop in the [[Kamigata]] area (i.e. [[Osaka]] and [[Kyoto]]), and would produce its own distinct styles and great masters, but the true core trend of development and prosperity arguably took place in Edo. Throughout the period, Kamigata remained the center for painting and Edo the center for flourishing production of woodblock prints, though both regions of course saw the production of innumerable works in both media. Even today, ''ukiyo-e'' at its full height of development is referred to as "Edo-e" (Edo pictures) in the Kamigata region.
''Ukiyo-e'' had its start in Edo, appropriately enough, in the publishing district. There, in the [[Kanbun (era)|Kanbun]] era of the [[Japanese calendar]] (1661-1673), one artist emerged as the primary producer of erotic images (''[[shunga]'') for illustrated books in what would come to be known as the ''ukiyo-e'' style. As his name is not known, he has come to be known in scholarship as "the [[Kanbun Master]]." He was followed roughly a decade later by [[Hishikawa Moronobu]] (d. 1694), who may have been his student, [[Sugimura Jihei]] (fl. c. 1681-1697), and others, who continued to produce these simple images, primarily of courtesans, dancing girls, and related erotic scenes.
''Ukiyo-e'' had its start in Edo, appropriately enough, in the publishing district. There, in the [[Kanbun (era)|Kanbun]] era of the [[Japanese calendar]] (1661-1673), one artist emerged as the primary producer of erotic images (''[[shunga]]'') for illustrated books in what would come to be known as the ''ukiyo-e'' style. As his name is not known, he has come to be known in scholarship as "the [[Kanbun Master]]." He was followed roughly a decade later by [[Hishikawa Moronobu]] (d. 1694), who may have been his student, [[Sugimura Jihei]] (fl.c. 1681-1697), and others, who continued to produce these simple images, primarily of courtesans, dancing girls, and related erotic scenes.
Printmakers such as [[Yoshida Hanbei]] (fl. c. 1664-1689) and [[Nishikawa Sukenobu]] (1651-1750) produced similar works in Kamigata, leading the genre in Kamigata. Producing thousands of illustrations for over one hundred books, including many by the famous author [[Ihara Saikaku]], both would remain among the most prolific ''ukiyo-e'' artists of the entire Edo period.
Printmakers such as [[Yoshida Hanbei]] (fl.c. 1664-1689) and [[Nishikawa Sukenobu]] (1651-1750) produced similar works in Kamigata, leading the genre in Kamigata. Producing thousands of illustrations for over one hundred books, including many by the famous author [[Ihara Saikaku]], both would remain among the most prolific ''ukiyo-e'' artists of the entire Edo period.
In both Edo and Kamigata, images were almost exclusively in monochrome black, sometimes with one or two colors used sparingly, primarily oranges and greens. Sometimes sheets would be hand-colored.
In both Edo and Kamigata, images were almost exclusively in monochrome black, sometimes with one or two colors used sparingly, primarily oranges and greens. Sometimes sheets would be hand-colored.
In the five years between the release of these first ''nishiki-e'' and his death, Harunobu produced hundreds of works, his unique style showing a marked departure from those of earlier artists. He remains today one of the most famous of all ''ukiyo-e'' artists not solely for his innovation, but for his charming and elegant style. In addition to the multitude of innovative elements which ''nishiki-e'' techniques allowed, his works are chiefly distinguished by the thin and slight build and young faces of his figures. While most earlier ''bijinga'' focused on the allure and sensuality of experienced courtesans, ostensibly full-grown women, Harunobu's ''bijinga'' really appealed to the delicate beauty of girlhood. The places and situations represented in his prints also displayed a more everyday, more real, world than many of the prints which came before. Two of his most famous prints, one of a young lady walking past a Shinto shrine, one of the girl [[Kasamori Osen]] serving tea at a small outdoor shop, serve as good examples of this real-world aesthetic. He very rarely, if ever, produced actor prints.
In the five years between the release of these first ''nishiki-e'' and his death, Harunobu produced hundreds of works, his unique style showing a marked departure from those of earlier artists. He remains today one of the most famous of all ''ukiyo-e'' artists not solely for his innovation, but for his charming and elegant style. In addition to the multitude of innovative elements which ''nishiki-e'' techniques allowed, his works are chiefly distinguished by the thin and slight build and young faces of his figures. While most earlier ''bijinga'' focused on the allure and sensuality of experienced courtesans, ostensibly full-grown women, Harunobu's ''bijinga'' really appealed to the delicate beauty of girlhood. The places and situations represented in his prints also displayed a more everyday, more real, world than many of the prints which came before. Two of his most famous prints, one of a young lady walking past a Shinto shrine, one of the girl [[Kasamori Osen]] serving tea at a small outdoor shop, serve as good examples of this real-world aesthetic. He very rarely, if ever, produced actor prints.
Harunobu was followed by a number of disciples and others influenced by his work. Suzuki Harushige, who would later become a master of ''[[ranga]]'' (Western-style painting) under the name [[Shiba Kokan|Shiba Kôkan]] (1747-1818), forged Harunobu's style for several years after the master's death. [[Ippitsusai Buncho|Ippitsusai Bunchô]] (fl. c. 1765-1792) and [[Isoda Koryusai|Isoda Kôryûsai]] (fl. c. 1760s-1780s) were among other notable followers of Harunobu at this time.
Harunobu was followed by a number of disciples and others influenced by his work. Suzuki Harushige, who would later become a master of ''[[ranga]]'' (Western-style painting) under the name [[Shiba Kokan|Shiba Kôkan]] (1747-1818), forged Harunobu's style for several years after the master's death. [[Ippitsusai Buncho|Ippitsusai Bunchô]] (fl.c. 1765-1792) and [[Isoda Koryusai|Isoda Kôryûsai]] (fl.c. 1760s-1780s) were among other notable followers of Harunobu at this time.
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Another major innovator, roughly contemporary with Harunobu, was [[Katsukawa Shunsho|Katsukawa Shunshô]] (1726-1793) the student of [[Miyagawa Shunsui]] (fl. c. 1740s-1760s), son of Miyagawa Chôshun mentioned earlier, and founder of the [[Katsukawa school]].
Another major innovator, roughly contemporary with Harunobu, was [[Katsukawa Shunsho|Katsukawa Shunshô]] (1726-1793) the student of [[Miyagawa Shunsui]] (fl.c. 1740s-1760s), son of Miyagawa Chôshun mentioned earlier, and founder of the [[Katsukawa school]].
The Katsukawa school produced both painting and prints, depicting the full range of ''ukiyo-e'' subjects, from sumo wrestlers to beauties (''bijin''). However, it is most known for its actor prints. Rejecting the dominant Torii style, which identified actors only by their [[mon|crests]] or not at all, Shunshô contributed to the trend towards greater realism prevalent at the time and produced actor prints which actually reflected the facial features and other distinguishing characteristics of individual actors. He is said to have revitalized the sub-genre, injecting back into it the energy and drama of kabuki, which had gradually drained out of the formerly energetic Torii style over the preceding decades.
The Katsukawa school produced both painting and prints, depicting the full range of ''ukiyo-e'' subjects, from sumo wrestlers to beauties (''bijin''). However, it is most known for its actor prints. Rejecting the dominant Torii style, which identified actors only by their [[mon|crests]] or not at all, Shunshô contributed to the trend towards greater realism prevalent at the time and produced actor prints which actually reflected the facial features and other distinguishing characteristics of individual actors. He is said to have revitalized the sub-genre, injecting back into it the energy and drama of kabuki, which had gradually drained out of the formerly energetic Torii style over the preceding decades.
Shunshô's student [[Katsukawa Shunko|Shunkô]] (1743-1812) continued his master's tradition and style, and devoted himself more exclusively to actor prints, becoming one of the first to produce large-scale headshot portraits of individual actors. Whereas previous actor prints almost always depicted the full actor, head to toe, and thus represented the role and the costume just as much as the actor, these focused in upon the individual actors' idiosyncrasies and features, becoming true portraits. This form would be continued by many artists after him, including the great masters [[Sharaku]] and [[Kitagwa Utamaro|Utamaro]]. [[Katsukawa Shuncho|Katsukawa Shunchô]], [[Katsukawa Shun'ei|Shun'ei]] and [[Hokusai]] were among other students of the Katsukawa school.
Shunshô's student [[Katsukawa Shunko|Shunkô]] (1743-1812) continued his master's tradition and style, and devoted himself more exclusively to actor prints, becoming one of the first to produce large-scale headshot portraits of individual actors. Whereas previous actor prints almost always depicted the full actor, head to toe, and thus represented the role and the costume just as much as the actor, these focused in upon the individual actors' idiosyncrasies and features, becoming true portraits. This form would be continued by many artists after him, including the great masters [[Sharaku]] and [[Kitagwa Utamaro|Utamaro]]. [[Katsukawa Shuncho|Katsukawa Shunchô]], [[Katsukawa Shun'ei|Shun'ei]] and [[Hokusai]] were among other students of the Katsukawa school.
==Maturation==
The full-color ''nishiki-e'' techniques of Harunobu, combined with Katsukawa Shunshô's shift to more realistic depictions, overturning the dominant forms of the Torii school, opened the doors for further experimentation and individual expression at the end of the 18th century.
Tôshûsai Sharaku (fl.c. 1794-1795), one of the most famous names in the genre, serves as a perfect example of the kind of artist who emerged in this period. Producing prints for an amazing limited time of only ten months, in 1794-1795, he nevertheless made a huge impact, creating highly distinctive works with a degree of realism not seen before. He expanded upon Shunshô's forms by emphasizing the reality of the actor behind the character; he was among the first and only major Edo artists to represent actors in this way, though it had already long been the dominant form in Kamigata.
While Sharaku focused on headshot portraits of individual actors, [[Torii Kiyonaga]] (1752-1815) became head of the Torii school and overhauled its traditional forms, setting the tone for the following century of ''ukiyo-e'' in much the same way that his predecessor Torii Kiyonobu did for the 18th century. In a way, his work really represents the culmination of the innovations and stylistic shifts of those who came before him, injecting these into the otherwise staid and static Torii style. His works represent the realism of the Katsukawa school, the delicate grace and brilliant color of Harunobu's work, along with full background scenery. Perhaps the key word to describe his style, and that of much of the 19th century, is "naturalism." Kiyonaga shed the exaggerated and over-dramatic forms of the earlier Torii style, creating scenes in which figures looked and behaved naturalistically, while remaining graceful and beautiful.
Kitagawa Utamaro (1750-1806) was the next major master, dominating the ''ukiyo-e'' scene in the 1790s much as Kiyonaga had a decade earlier. He is known primarily for his ''bijinga'' portraits, which represent as dramatic and important a shift for that sub-genre as Sharaku's work does for actor prints. Utamaro's works show a strong influence from Kiyonaga, but also a dramatic departure from the ''bijinga'' of Harunobu and others; they set a new core standard style for the form. Utamaro's women are more mature-looking than Harunobu's slight figures, more fully-figured and more fully sensual than delicate and graceful. Many of Utamaro's works, including a great number of ''shunga'' pieces, seek to represent the life and activity of the courtesans and their district, serving not only as pictures of beautiful women, but as providing a glimpse into their otherwise secret world. Utamaro, along with Kiyonaga and others, was also among the first to make extensive use of the [[polyptych]], images which span multiple individual sheets; while previous artists occasionally produced works in pairs or groups of three, a number of Utamaro's works span six or eight sheets, arranged in two rows. These were sold separately as collectors' items at the time and remain so today.
Utamaro was followed by the [[Utagawa school]], a series of artists who dominated the early 19th century, producing works in a variety of sub-genres. [[Utagawa Toyoharu]] (1735-1814), the founder of the school, is cited as the first ''ukiyo-e'' artist to truly focus on landscapes and on large group scenes. It was certainly not uncommon for earlier works to include as many as ten or more figures which served as the foreground focus of the work; Toyoharu produced images of tens or hundreds of individuals, incorporated into the landscape, that is, into the scene. Many of these were crowded city scenes, within Edo's kabuki theatres, along its avenues, or on the river.
As such, he was also among the first to incorporate perspective, in the Western style, into his images, rather than simply experimenting with it as a novelty as some earlier artists, as far back as Masanobu and Torii Kiyonobu, had. These came to be known as "floating pictures", or ''[[uki-e]]'', as the more realistic depiction of depth made the images supposedly seem to float right off the page.
Many of Toyoharu's followers in the Utagawa school, including [[Utagawa Toyokuni]] (1769-1825), [[Utagawa Toyohiro|Toyohiro]] (1773-1828), [[Utagawa Kunisada|Kunisada]] (1786-1865), [[Utagawa Kuniyoshi|Kuniyoshi]] (1798-1861), and [[Utagawa Kunimasa|Kunimasa]] (1773-1810), are famous and talented artists in their own rights, dominating the genre in the early 19th century. They produced a great many ''bijinga'', actor prints, and other works, their style largely imitative of Kiyonaga's, but showing moments of great originality at times.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and [[Hiroshige|Andô Hiroshige]] (1797-1858), easily the two ''ukiyo-e'' artists most well-known in the West, thus came quite late in the development of the genre, and, as masters of landscapes, do not truly represent the urban culture (courtesans, actors, and genre scenes) core of the genre.
Both of these artists, along with their students and others around them, produced a wide variety of works, both paintings and prints, ''bijinga'', actor prints, images of sumo wrestlers, ''[[shunga]]'', and genre scenes, but eventually came to be best known for their landscapes. Their most well-known works, Hokusai's ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'' and Hiroshige's ''Fifty-Three Stations of the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô]]'', are representative of their landscape work in general, which made extensive use of Western perspective, pigments, and stylistic elements. Though some of these works appear to depart dramatically from ''ukiyo-e's'' focus on people and urban scenes, in fact the majority of these pieces are intended to emphasize the people in the prints, within their context; these works also fit quite neatly into a larger trend of Edo period travel literature and artwork, depicting Mt. Fuji, sites along the Tôkaidô road and other famous travel sites. These could serve the collectors either as reminders of the sights they enjoyed on their journeys or, more commonly, as substitutes for those who couldn't or didn't make the journeys at all.
==Decline==
==Decline==
The [[Bakumatsu period]] (c. 1850-1867) and [[Meiji Restoration]] of 1868 brought the demise of the Edo period urban culture of which ''ukiyo-e'' was a part. Though woodblock printing certainly went on for a time, the ''ukiyo'' ("floating world") became, for the most part, a thing of the past. One exception may be in those who continued, through the 20th century and into today, to produce actor prints, as the kabuki theatre did manage to survive and continue.
One ''ukiyo-e'' artist of the [[Meiji period]] is worth some attention here. [[Kobayashi Kiyochika]] (1847-1915) is often considered the last of the great ''ukiyo-e'' artists, working in largely traditional modes and styles despite his interesting modern subjects. The works for which is is most known are those which show the transformation of Edo into [[Tokyo]], and depict traditional scenes with modern elements, such as trains, clocktowers, and horse-drawn carriages.
Later in the Meiji period, woodblock prints were used to represent the events of the [[Sino-Japanese War]] (1894-1895) and [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904-1905), alongside photographs and postcards.
A number of other artists of the Meiji period and early 20th century, including most notably [[Hashiguchi Goyo|Hashiguchi Goyô]], adopted more modern and Western methods and styles into their works, and came to comprise what has been called "[[neo-ukiyo-e]]".
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