What are the best pictures of handicrafts from ancient Japan?

Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that thrived from the 1600s to 1880s. They were printed in great numbers using wood block printing methods. In most cases, they depicted popular topics such as kabuki, geisha, travel, history, myth and politics. read more

Visitors to larger cities in Japan can take a Japanese woodblock printing class to experience the art themselves. One of the most famous studios is Mokuhankan. It grew famous in the gaming world for its Ukiyo-e Heroes line, which put popular video game characters in traditional style prints. read more

There are various types of traditional Japanese dolls (人形, ningyō, lit. "human form"), some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons, and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. read more

Japanese art evolved unique techniques, traditions and aesthetics as the country's artists were isolated from the rest of the art world for centuries at a time. When Japanese art finally exploded onto the world stage in the 1860s, it changed everything. read more