Okay so yesterday I decided to tackle figuring out what the absolute top dogs of Ukiyo-e art really are. Everyone throws around names like Hokusai and Hiroshige, but I wanted the essential prints, you know? The ones you gotta know, even if you’re just dipping your toes into Japanese woodblock stuff.
Starting The Hunt: Where Do You Even Begin?
First step? Honestly? Just diving headfirst into a ton of books and websites I trust. It’s messy, right? Jotting down titles that kept popping up everywhere. “The Great Wave” obviously was there from minute one. Who hasn’t seen that sucker? But beyond that, gotta track down the real heavy-hitters that shaped the whole scene.
Actually Making The List: Arguments With Myself
Then came the hard part: narrowing it down to TEN. Only ten?! Man, it’s brutal! Sitting there with pages of scribbled names, crossing things out, arguing with myself:
- “Okay, how can I not include Hiroshige’s ‘Plum Estate’?” That rain, those figures! It sets a mood like nothing else.
- “Utamaro’s beauties HAVE to be there.” But which one? “Three Beauties of the Present Day” felt like the poster child for his whole vibe.
- “Sharaku’s kabuki actors!” Wild faces, intense expressions. Gotta represent those portraits. Picked the Otani Oniji one – pure theatrical electricity.
- “Hokusai’s gotta have more than just the Wave.” “Red Fuji” won. The simplicity, the power, so different from the Wave but just as breathtaking in its own way.
- “Early stuff matters!” Kiyonaga’s “Evening Cool” went on the list. It felt so…classic, showing that refined style before Hokusai changed the game.
You know what was tricky? Giving Utagawa Kuniyoshi a slot. Dude was amazing, but picking one? Settled on the “Tiger in the Snow” print. Powerful, beautiful, shows off his wild style next to the others. Felt like the list needed that punch.
Putting Pen to Paper (Well, Finger to Keyboard)
Finally, after flipping through my piles of scribbles, I hammered out the list. It wasn’t just about what I liked best personally (though that crept in!), but which ones really felt indispensable for understanding Ukiyo-e’s impact, style range, and history. Here’s the ten that stuck:
- Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” (Obviously!)
- Hokusai’s “South Wind, Clear Sky (Red Fuji)”
- Hiroshige’s “Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake”
- Hiroshige’s “Plum Estate, Kameido”
- Utamaro’s “Three Beauties of the Present Day”
- Sharaku’s “Ōtani Oniji II as the Servant Edobei”
- Kiyonaga’s “Evening Cool at Ryōgoku Bridge”
- Suzuki Harunobi’s “Lovers in an Upstairs Room” (For that early Nishiki-e color punch)
- Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s “Shoki the Demon Queller” (That Tiger in the Snow!)
- Utamaro’s “Lovers” (Something deeply personal and intimate)
Why Bother? Just Pictures, Right?
Look, finding them, comparing them, arguing internally about their importance? It was a journey. These prints aren’t just pretty pictures from old Japan. They’re windows into a whole world – fashion, theater, landscapes people loved, everyday life, even fantasies. Seeing how artists tackled similar themes across different decades? That’s the gold.
This list? It’s my take after digging through the noise. It’s not the only top ten possible, but this bunch? They’re the ones that feel absolutely vital. If you want to “get” Ukiyo-e, these ten are your bedrock. Simple as that.
