37459 (community total) + 70 (my reviews) = 37529
11 Likes
37529 + 21 = 37550
10 Likes
37550 (community total) + 56 (my reviews) = 37606
10 Likes
37606 (community total) + 52 (my reviews) = 37658
10 Likes
37658 (community total) + 24 (my reviews) = 37682
10 Likes
37682 (community total) + 29 (my reviews) = 37711
9 Likes
37711 (community total) + 42 (my reviews) = 37753
10 Likes
37753 (community total) + 20 (my reviews) = 37773
9 Likes
37773 (community total) + 27 (my reviews) = 37800
About 103 years in: 1660’s
Based on the Imperial Era system, the time from 1661 to 1673 was known as the かんぶんEra. This period is essentially the start of the well-known Japanese art style of Ukiyo-e. A series of paintings known as the “Beauties of the Kanbun Era” was made, which featured women is elaborate dress standing against a blank background. These became very popular with the flourishing interest and promotion of arts and cultures during the Edo period and were copied by a number of artists, which then saw the later establishment of independent Ukiyo-e schools. Woodblock printing had already been in use since before 1600, but they became much more common and advanced as demand for Ukiyo-e prints increased. The need for better printing was also in part due to the high literacy rates among the population during the Edo period, in fact it was one of the highest in the world at the time. All of the Samurai class and above were fully literate and educated in a range of arts, but even within the lower classes (e.g. farmers) literacy rate was over 50% of the population. With flourishing culture and leisure time, this meant the demand for books was high, and Edo even had hundreds of rental bookstores (ok, libraries) of paper and woodblock prints and books.
19 Likes
37800 + 32 = 37832
2 days to go
It’s amazing how my ability to comprehend Japanese increases when I hit the show English button…
11 Likes
37832 + 47 = 37879
10 Likes
37879 (community total) + 12 (my reviews) = 37891
10 Likes
37891 (community total) + 7 (my reviews) = 37898
10 Likes
37898 (community total) + 49 (my reviews) = 37947
11 Likes
37947 (community total) + 66 (my reviews) = 38013
10 Likes
38013 (community total) + 29 (my reviews) = 38042
10 Likes
38042 (community total) + 20 (my reviews) = 38062
11 Likes
38062 (community total) + 26 (my reviews) = 38088
11 Likes
38088 (community total) + 84 (my reviews) = 38172
10 Likes
38172 (community total) + 11 (my reviews) = 38183
10 Likes