浮世絵

Japanese

浮世絵 (ukiyoe): a woodblock print by Hiroshige, and example of ukiyo-e artwork.

Kanji in this term
浮	世	絵
う(き) Grade: S	よ Grade: 3	え Grade: 2
kun’yomi		on’yomi

Alternative spelling
浮世繪 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Compound of 浮世 (ukiyo, “the floating world, the pleasure quarters”, in reference to the first main subject area) +‎ 絵 (e, “picture, illustration”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) うきよえ [ùkíyóé] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) うきよ​え [ùkíyóꜜè] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝkʲijo̞e̞]

Noun

浮(うき)世(よ)絵(え) • (ukiyoe) ^{←うきよゑ (ukyowe)?}

1. ukiyo-e, Japanese paintings and woodblock prints of the Edo period
2. erotica

   Synonym: 春画 (shunga)

   • 2012, Shirakura Yoshihiko, Shunga ni miru irokoi no basho [Places of sensual love seen in erotica], page back cover:

     白(しら)倉(くら)敬(よし)彦(ひこ)
     1940(いっせんきゅうひゃくよんじゅう)年(ねん)、北(ほっ)海(かい)道(どう)生(う)まれ。早(わ)稲(せ)田(だ)大(だい)学(がく)文(ぶん)学(がく)部(ぶ)中(ちゅう)退(たい)。長(なが)年(ねん)、独(どく)立(りつ)した編(へん)集(しゅう)者(しゃ)として現(げん)代(だい)美(び)術(じゅつ)から浮(うき)世(よ)絵(え)にいたる美(び)術(じゅつ)書(しょ)を編(へん)集(しゅう)、近(きん)年(ねん)では浮(うき)世(よ)絵(え)・春(しゆん)画(が)の研(けん)究(きゅう)に携(たずさ)わる。

     Shirakura Yoshihiko
     Issenkyūhyakuyonjū-nen, Hokkaidō umare. Waseda Daigaku bungakubu chūtai. naganen, dokuritsu shita henshūsha to shite gendai bijutsu kara ukiyoe ni itaru bijutsusho o henshū, kinnen de wa ukiyoe shiyunga no kenkyū ni tazusawaru.

     Yoshihiko Shirakura. Born 1940 in Hokkaido. Studied briefly at Waseda University faculty of literature. For many years, an independent editor compiling books on fine arts from contemporary to woodblock prints, in recent years engaged in research on erotica and curiosa.