ukiyo-e

Where does the word "ukiyo-e" come from? It comes from Japanese ukiyo-e, and was adopted directly into English (1870s-1880s).

Ukiyo-e’s story begins in Japanese: ukiyo-e meant “woodblock prints depicting everyday and pleasure-district life.” Literally 'pictures of the floating world', naming woodblock prints of urban pleasures and landscapes. It reached English by 1870s-1880s as ukiyo-e. Japanese 'pictures of the floating world'; Hokusai's 'Great Wave' (1831) influenced Van Gogh and Monet. Today, ukiyo-e means a genre of Japanese woodblock prints depicting landscapes, actors, and everyday life.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · Edo era ukiyo-e "woodblock prints depicting everyday and pleasure-district life", literally 'pictures of the floating world', naming woodblock prints of urban pleasures and landscapes.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1870s-1880s ukiyo-e "traditional Japanese woodblock prints", Japanese 'pictures of the floating world'; Hokusai's 'Great Wave' (1831) influenced Van Gogh and Monet.