Ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world," is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre and pleasure quarters. It is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan. Ukiyo-e prints were mainly meant for townspeople, who were generally not wealthy enough to afford an original painting. The original subject of ukiyo-e was city life, in particular activities and scenes from the entertainment district. Beautiful courtesans, bulky sumo wrestlers and popular actors would be portrayed while engaged in appealing activities. Later on, landscapes also became popular. Ukiyo-e can be categorized into two periods: the Edo period, which comprises ukiyo-e from its origins in the 1620s until about 1867, when the Meiji period began, lasting until 1912. The Edo period was largely a period of calm that provided an ideal environment for the development of the art in a commercial form; while the Meiji period is characterized by new influences as Japan opened up to the West. Many of Japan's greatest woodcut artists of the latter half of the nineteenth century studied in the workshop of the master artist and designer, Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). The most notable were Yoshitoshi, Yoshiiku, Yoshitora, Yoshikazu and Yoshifuji. The 'Yoshi' prefix, in fact, was somewhat like a title which indicated that these artists belonged to Kuniyoshi's famous school. By the mid 1870's Yoshitoshi had risen to be the most famous artist of his era. Yet, for the decade following the death of Kuniyoshi (in 1861), the heir apparent to carry on his masterful warrior and actor woodcuts was Yoshiiku. More than any of Kuniyoshi's pupils, Yoshiiku continued the striking design elements of his master. These included powerful portrayals of motion and gesture combined with brilliant colour modulations. Yoshiiku's affinity to his master during this decade is reinforced by the fact that he was commissioned to create the important memorial woodcut portrait of Kuniyoshi shortly after his death. As well many of Yoshiiku's woodcuts during the 1860's decade are signed with Kuniyoshi's red Kiri seal.