浮世 ‘UKIYO’
UKIYO - an Edo era term originally used to describe a period of art, cultural thinking and interaction present amongst pleasure seeking city dwellers looking to escape boredom and monotony of life. UKIYO loosely translates to “the floating world,” but can also mean “painful world,” a nod to the concept of suffering present in Buddhism. Ukiyo-e reflects contemporary art of the time, woodblock carvings advertising Kabuki theatre shows. The beautiful images promoting events and gatherings were attractive distractions from what was otherwise an oppressive class system.
