Ukiyo-e art is a wood engraving technique, representing the last traditional Japanese figurative art before the Meiji period (1868). Its 'pictures of the floating world' imitate ancient aristocratic traditions and reflect the tastes and traditions of the people of Edo (the present-day Tokyo) through landscapes and scenes from everyday life. Ukiyo-e inspired such Western artists as Manet, Degas, and Van Gogh, and gave birth to Japonism.
