Editing Ukiyo-e (section)

===Emergence of ukiyo-e (late 17th&nbsp;– early 18th centuries)===

The earliest ukiyo-e artists came from the world of [[Japanese painting]].{{sfn|Kikuchi|Kenny|1969|p=31}} {{transliteration|ja|Yamato-e}} painting of the 17th century had developed a style of outlined forms which allowed inks to be dripped on a wet surface and spread out towards the outlines—this outlining of forms was to become the dominant style of ukiyo-e.{{sfn|Kita|2011|p=155}}

[[File:Hikone Screen.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3|alt=A folding screen painted with Japanese figures at play against a gold background|The [[Hikone screen]] may be the oldest surviving ukiyo-e work, dating to {{circa|1624–1644}}.]]

Around 1661, painted [[Kakemono|hanging scrolls]] known as ''Portraits of Kanbun Beauties'' gained popularity. The paintings of the [[Kanbun (era)|Kanbun era]] (1661–1673), most of which are anonymous, marked the beginnings of ukiyo-e as an independent school.{{sfn|Kikuchi|Kenny|1969|p=31}} The paintings of [[Iwasa Matabei]] (1578–1650) have a great affinity with ukiyo-e paintings. Scholars disagree whether Matabei's work itself is ukiyo-e;{{sfn|Kita|1999|p=39}} assertions that he was the genre's founder are especially common amongst Japanese researchers.{{sfn|Kita|2011|pp=149, 154–155}} At times Matabei has been credited as the artist of the unsigned [[Hikone screen]],{{sfn|Kita|1999|pp=44–45}} a {{transliteration|ja|[[byōbu]]}} folding screen that may be one of the earliest surviving ukiyo-e works. The screen is in a refined Kanō style and depicts contemporary life, rather than the prescribed subjects of the painterly schools.{{sfn|Yashiro|1958|pp=216, 218}}

[[File:Moronobu b-w shunga.jpg|left|thumb|alt=A black-and-white illustration of a pair of lovers in splendid dress at play|Early woodblock print, [[Hishikawa Moronobu]], late 1670s or early 1680s]]<!-- there is a really nice coloured version of this print on Commons. Please don't replace this one with it, as there are few monochrome prints in the article. -->

In response to the increasing demand for ukiyo-e works, [[Hishikawa Moronobu]] (1618–1694) produced the first ukiyo-e woodblock prints.{{sfn|Kikuchi|Kenny|1969|p=31}} By 1672, Moronobu's success was such that he began to sign his work—the first of the book illustrators to do so. He was a prolific illustrator who worked in a wide variety of genres, and developed an influential style of portraying female beauties. Most significantly, he began to produce illustrations, not just for books, but as single-sheet images, which could stand alone or be used as part of a series. The Hishikawa school attracted a large number of followers,{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=70–71}} as well as imitators such as [[Sugimura Jihei]],{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=71–72}} and signalled the beginning of the popularization of a new artform.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|p=71}}

[[Torii Kiyonobu&nbsp;I]] and [[Kaigetsudō Ando]] became prominent emulators of Moronobu's style following the master's death, though neither was a member of the Hishikawa school. Both discarded background detail in favour of focus on the human figure—kabuki actors in the {{transliteration|ja|[[yakusha-e]]}} of Kiyonobu and the [[Torii school]] that followed him,{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=72–73}} and courtesans in the {{transliteration|ja|[[bijin-ga]]}} of Ando and his [[Kaigetsudō school]]. Ando and his followers produced a stereotyped female image whose design and pose lent itself to effective mass production,{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=72–74}} and its popularity created a demand for paintings that other artists and schools took advantage of.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=75–76}} The Kaigetsudō school and its popular "Kaigetsudō beauty" ended after Ando's exile over his role in the [[Ejima-Ikushima affair|Ejima-Ikushima scandal]] of 1714.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=74–75}}

Kyoto native [[Nishikawa Sukenobu]] (1671–1750) painted technically refined pictures of courtesans.{{sfn|Noma|1966|p=188}} Considered a master of erotic portraits, he was the subject of a government ban in 1722, though it is believed he continued to create works that circulated under different names.{{sfn|Hibbett|2001|p=69}} Sukenobu spent most of his career in Edo, and his influence was considerable in both the [[Kantō region|Kantō]] and [[Kansai region]]s.{{sfn|Noma|1966|p=188}} The paintings of [[Miyagawa Chōshun]] (1683–1752) portrayed early 18th-century life in delicate colours. Chōshun made no prints.{{sfn|Munsterberg|1957|p=154}} The [[Miyagawa school]] he founded in the early-18th century specialized in romantic paintings in a style more refined in line and colour than the Kaigetsudō school. Chōshun allowed greater expressive freedom in his adherents, a group that later included [[Hokusai]].{{sfn|Kobayashi|1997|pp=75–76}}

<gallery caption="Early ukiyo-e masters" mode="packed" heights="230px">
File:Kaigetsudo Ando - Standing Portrait of a Courtesan, c. 1705-1710, Hanging scroll; ink, color and gold on paper.jpg|Standing portrait of a courtesan{{pb}}Ink and colour painting on silk, [[Kaigetsudō Ando]], {{circa|1705–10}}
<!-- Kaigetsudo Bijin-attendant-1710.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|[[Bijin-ga|Bijin]]}} ''and attendant''{{pb}}Ink and colour painting on silk, [[Kaigetsudō Ando]], 1710 -->
KIYONOBU-Yamanaka-Ichikawa-1714.jpg|Portrait of actors{{pb}}Hand-coloured print{{pb}}[[Torii Kiyonobu I|Kiyonobu]], 1714
Nishikawa Sukenobu, 1739, Ehon Asakayama,16 gris.jpg|Printed page from {{transliteration|ja|Asakayama E-hon}}{{pb}}[[Nishikawa Sukenobu|Sukenobu]], 1739
Ryukyuan Dancer and Musicians by Miyagawa Choshun, c. 1718.jpg|''Ryukyuan Dancer and Musicians''{{pb}}Ink and color painting on silk, [[Miyagawa Chōshun|Chōshun]], {{circa|1718}}
</gallery>