|
|
|
 |
| The Kabuki District in Edo |
|
<< Edo Period 1603-1868 >>
When the Tokugawa shogunate took power in 1603, a period
of peace and economic prosperity began. But it was peace
under a strict and oppressive rule.
The country was nearly completely secluded from the rest
of the world. The Edo period ended with the forced
opening by a US navy fleet and subsequent civil war-like
skirmishes.
In the late 17th century the first black and white woodblock
prints were created. And when the first polychrome prints
were produced around 1765, the period of classical Ukiyo-e
was born. Ukiyo-e was the art of the demimonde,
showing the world of Kabuki theaters and brothels.
It was the art of
the affluent merchant class and of the common man. And it
was foremost commercial art.
Ukiyo-e Artists of the Edo Period
|
Ukiyo-e History