Ukiyo-e is a genre of art with two types—paintings and woodblock prints—developed during the Edo Period. The particularly beautiful full-color prints are called nishiki-e.

Since woodblock prints can be mass-produced, many prints from the Edo Period still exist.
The themes of nishiki-e include portraits of kabuki actors, famous scenes from various tales, as well as landscapes depicting popular places such as shrines, temples and leisure spots.
Their bold compositions and lyrical depictions of the four seasons, the passage of time over a day, and of the moon, rain, snow and wind are a big part of their appeal.

Nishiki-e prints are the product of a collaboration between the artist who designs the original image, the engraver who carves the woodblocks, the printer who makes the prints, and the publisher who supervises the entire process from planning to production and sales. The common people of Edo loved nishiki-e prints, which later became known worldwide for their significant influence on artists such as Monet, Van Gogh and Whistler.
The beautiful multicolor printing techniques used to make nishiki-e prints were also adopted for maps. Many elaborate and beautiful maps of high aesthetic value were printed, becoming popular Edo souvenirs for the samurai and merchants who visited from all over the country.

Note: This guide is limited to our current products.

• The One Hundred Famous Views of Edo Picture Scroll <<Hiroshige>>

  $378.10 USD

  

  Hiroshige’s “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” have been reproduced as a seamless ten-meter-long picture scroll using long-format printing! Such scrolls are considered by some to be one of the inspirations for Japanese animation.

  Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) is one of the best-known ukiyo-e masters of the Edo Period, along with Katsushika Hokusai. His “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” is a series of ukiyo-e prints produced between 1856 and 1858, the year of his death. Although Hiroshige painted many popular landmarks throughout Japan, this series—which includes all of Edo’s famous sights—is widely considered the culmination of his career and artistry. More than 160 years after, the city has witnessed the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and Edo’s transformation into Tokyo, which still radiates the same charm. Contemporary master artisans of ukiyo-e selected thirty of Hiroshige’s spring, summer, fall and winter landscapes and reproduced them in exacting detail. The scroll includes old maps, allowing the viewer to share the same perspectives that Hiroshige had when he painted these scenes. Please enjoy the lyrical art of Hiroshige and the atmosphere of Edo. 

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• The Fifty-three Stations of Tokaido Picture Scroll <<Hiroshige>>

  $378.10 USD

  

  “The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” is one of Utagawa Hiroshige’s most famous ukiyo-e masterpieces. When you unroll this scroll, you will instantly feel the scenery and perhaps even the mood of the travelers on their way from Edo to Kyoto. As you continue unrolling it, you can enjoy an experience like watching an animated film.

  The Tokaido was the highway that connected the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto (where the emperor and much of the nobility lived) with Edo, the center of the feudal government during the Edo Period. Samurai and commoners alike traveled between its fifty-three shuku (post towns) that provided lodging and other services. Hiroshige immortalized the scenery near each of these post towns in a series of ukiyo-e prints. Trace the old map from the Nihonbashi Bridge in Edo to the Sanjo Ohashi Bridge in Kyoto while viewing the panoramas of the post towns through Hiroshige’s art. Take a trip back through time to Japan during the Edo Period!

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• FROM EDO TO TOKYO Traveling through Time with a 200-year-Old Map

  $22.69 USD

  

  This large-format map merges an old map of Edo with a map of Tokyo’s rail system. Imagine the streets of old Edo just beyond the scenery of modern Tokyo. A guide booklet is also included, making this the ultimate guide to Tokyo!

  This colorful reprint of the “Large-Scale Map of Great Edo” first published in 1843 has clear, easy-to-read text and allows you to observe the cityscape of old Edo.

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• FROM EDO TO TOKYO FUROSHIKI Traveling through Time with a 200-year-Old Map

  $52.93 USD

  

  Experience many styles of furoshiki wrapping and feel Edo’s iki—a sense of beauty in simplicity that emerged among the common people of the city!

  In Japan, people have used a single cloth to wrap and carry items since ancient times. These cloths are called furoshiki. We have printed a beautiful old map (the “Large-Scale Map of Great Edo,” published in 1843) on it so that you can experience the Japanese culture of wrapping with furoshiki!

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• Hidden Treasures of Samurai Art

  $485.00 USD

  

  The Essential Guide to Samurai Arms and Armor!

  This striking visual reference guide features over six hundred famous examples of Japanese arms and armor, including swords, cuirasses, helmets and more.
  This collector’s edition explores a central facet of Japanese beauty in depth.

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