ukiyo-e

[ yoo-kee-oh-ey; Japanese oo-kee-yaw-e ]

noun

1. a genre style of painting and printmaking developed in Japan from the 17th to the 19th centuries and marked by the depiction of the leisure activities of ordinary people.

ukiyo-e

/ ˌuːkiːjəʊˈjeɪ /

noun

1. a school of Japanese painting depicting subjects from everyday life

Word History and Origins

Origin of ukiyo-e¹

1895–1900; < Japanese, equivalent to uki-yo transitory world ( uki float + yo world) + ( w ) e picture (perhaps < Middle Chinese; compare Chinese huà )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ukiyo-e¹

Japanese: pictures of the floating world

Example Sentences

He says the PIE title “Something Wicked from Japan: Ghosts, Demons & Yokai in Ukiyo-e Masterpieces” is among the top all-time Apparition bestsellers.

From Seattle Times

Nods to L.A.’s urban sprawl are paired with vivid graffiti lettering and spray paint, punctuated with blazes of gold leaf and carefully rendered figures inspired by Japanese Ukiyo-e art.

From Los Angeles Times

Roasted carrots are strung from the ceiling; halved baguettes stand pointed ends up in thick swirls of butter that resemble waves from Japanese ukiyo-e paintings.

From Los Angeles Times

Too often, he said, English-reading audiences conceive of Japanese fiction as akin to Ukiyo-e woodblock painting with a “koan-like inscrutability,” Malissa said.

From New York Times

When Japan announced its reopening to business travelers and international students earlier this month, Tatsumasa Sakai, 70, the fifth-generation owner of a shop that sells ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, in Asakusa, a popular tourist destination in Tokyo, hoped that the move was a first step toward further reopening.

From New York Times