More Than Pretty Pictures: The Hidden Meanings, Humor, and Resistance in Ukiyo-e
Pine trees mean longevity. Kimono patterns reveal identity. Banned actors became cats. Learn to read the symbols and hidden jokes inside ukiyo-e prints.
Ukiyo-e and Kabuki: Edo's Original Fan Culture
Buying actor prints, displaying them at home, talking about the new season — Edo had all of it. How ukiyo-e and kabuki built Japan's first pop culture.
- 01 Jul, 2026
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Aiiro
Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: The Prints That Inspired Van Gogh
A guide to Hiroshige's final masterwork — 119 views of a vanishing Edo, the two prints that changed Van Gogh, and where to see them today.
Aiiro: The Blue That Changed Ukiyo-e
The deep blue of Japanese woodblock prints traveled from a German lab accident to Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Van Gogh — the story of the color that changed ukiyo-e.
Kuniyoshi: Cats, Skeletons, and Satire — Meet Ukiyo-e's Great Outsider
Fierce warrior prints, a colossal skeleton, political cartoons slipped past the censors, and an overwhelming love of cats — Kuniyoshi was unlike any other ukiyo-e artist. Here's why his work still feels completely alive.
Kuniyoshi's Cats: Ukiyo-e's Greatest Cat Lover
Cats performing kabuki, cats running fish stalls, cats standing in for political satire — Kuniyoshi's love of cats produced some of the most charming and surprisingly sharp prints in all of ukiyo-e. A guide for cat lovers everywhere.
Ghosts, Monsters, and Ukiyo-e: The Art That Became J-Horror and Anime
The ghost in The Ring, the spirits in Studio Ghibli, the demons in Demon Slayer — their visual language traces directly back to Edo-period woodblock prints. A guide to Japan's long, rich tradition of beautiful, unsettling art.