Emerging in Edo-period Japan, Ukiyo-e — or “pictures of the floating world” — captured moments of beauty, pleasure, and impermanence in daily life. Artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige depicted landscapes, actors, and seasonal scenes with graceful linework, layered color, and striking composition. Blending simplicity with precision, these prints influenced generations of Western artists and remain a cornerstone of design that celebrates harmony, transience, and the poetry of the everyday.