Japanese woodblock prints (Ukiyo-e), literally means 'Floating World'. Origianlly from the Buddhist, it was a term expressive of the transient sorrows of life. In the Edo period of Japan(17th cntury), the words gained a positive connotation of the transient world of pleasure. Japanese woodblocks date back to 770 A.D. The woodblock print is, at first, the product of the designer but in reality is also the result of the artistic effort of the wood carver, the artist that actually paints the wood and the person who actually does the printing.
"...Living only for the moment, turning our full attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking wine, diverting ourselves in just floating, floating; caring not a whit for the pauperism staring us in the face, refusing to be disheartened, like a gourd floating along with the river current: this is what we call the floating world..."
Ryoi, "Tales of the Floating World", ca.1661 back