Ukiyo-e prints were first brought to the public's attention and gained popularity in the Edo period when shoguns were ruling Japan. Though ukiyo-e prints were widely used and wildly popular, they were considered to be lowly and for the non-elite class. They often depicted famous actors and courtesans, giving viewers a taste of contemporary city life while tying in historical references and themes. The name ukiyo-e is comprised of three parts; uki, meaning "floating, yo, meaning "world" and e, meaning pictures. These three words come together to form ukiyo-e, the most common translation of which being "pictures of the floating world". (Library of Congress)
Early forms of what would later become ukiyo-e originated in the Heian period from 794-1185 AD in Japan. In this time period, ukiyo-e wasn't an established art form, and wood blocks were used to decorate buildings like temples and castles. These "murals" of sorts depicted everyday scenes like landscapes, people and shrines. Most early ukiyo-e prints were done in black and white, but later evolved into nishiki-e, or multicolored prints of up to twenty different colors with bold lines and sensuous detailing. These prints of nishiki-e were more difficult to complete-each color had its own separate wood block. As more people began to view it, the Buddhist concept of ukiyo-e began to grow, and by the Tokugawa period, ukiyo-e was established as a true art form. (Treat and Soper)
As ukiyo-e grew in popularity, many different artists and unique forms of the block printing emerged. Many artists chose to stick to the more primitive versions of ukiyo-e, printing erotic scenes of courtesans and kabuki actors and actresses. More often, artists stuck to what was contemporary, printing colorful prints of the beautiful Japanese landscapes. These bright, colorful paintings inspired some more well-known European artists, including Mary Cassatt and Vincent Van Gogh, sprouting the well-known Japonisme movement. (Khan Academy)