Ukiyo-e - Japanese woodcuts

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What is Ukiyo-e?

Ukiyo-e is a term for an old Japanese art craft from the 17th century, where works were created through woodcuts. Directly translated, Ukiyo-e means ' pictures of the floating world ', and within the genre nature pictures, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, erotic subjects, geishas and life in the city were popular motifs to depict. The result of the special craftsmanship is, in our opinion, authentic illustrations, where history and Japanese elements are reproduced in the finest way.

Woodcut as a craft

Woodcuts are an impressive and time-consuming method of creating art. When a woodcut was created, the artist first prepared the desired motif on a piece of paper in order to subsequently transfer the outline of the motif to a wood block. The artist chiseled and then cut out the motif by hand to raise lines and areas that would later be colored. The artwork was thus created by adding ink to the surface of the woodblock, which could then be printed on paper.