Ukiyo-e, the inspiration for Impressionism, was an encyclopedia of the Edo period!

During the Edo period, people's interests shifted towards contemporary fashion and customs, and a large number of ukiyo-e, which depicted various aspects of life, emerged, later becoming synonymous with Japanese painting. Ukiyo-e evolved from Japanese genre painting, influenced by the native 'Yamato-e' as well as drawing nourishment from Song and Yuan dynasty paintings, Ming and Qing dynasty prints, and related ancient texts from China. In its later stages, it also incorporated Western painting techniques such as perspective, becoming one of the most influential art forms in modern Japan. Early ukiyo-e art, known as 'nikuhitsu ukiyo-e', was hand-painted by the artists themselves, primarily featuring aristocratic themes. Later, Iwasa Matabei introduced popular fashions into painting subjects. Hishikawa Moronobu was influenced by Ming and Qing prints, combining printmaking with painting, which led ukiyo-e from hand-painting to mass production. This also resulted in a large number of printed color woodblock prints, known as 'nishiki-e'. Utagawa Hiroshige, Katsushika Hokusai, and Kitagawa Utamaro are known as the 'Three Great Masters of Ukiyo-e'. Utagawa Kuniyoshi became famous for his 'Heroes of Suikoden' series, sparking an unprecedented craze for warrior prints. Kitagawa Utamaro gained fame for his paintings of beauties, touching the hearts of worldly wanderers. Ogata Gekko was a self-taught artist whose painting style blended modern sensibility and technique. In the mid-19th century West, the artistic style of ukiyo-e propelled the painting movement from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism. Masters like Monet and Van Gogh copied ukiyo-e and drew inspiration from it. In the world of fleeting pleasures, only art and love should never be betrayed.