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The Art of Japanese Publishing

These beautifully illustrated and commercially published books (and subsequent single-sheet prints) not only impacted the Japanese art tradition but, in the 19th century, inspired the Western art movements of Impressionism, Japonisme, and Art Nouveau. The publishing of illustrated books was then revolutionized in the 20th century with the introduction of photography, new printing processes, and artists taking complete control of their work for the first time.

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The advent of commercial publishing in 17th-century Japan completely revolutionized the Japanese art tradition. For the first time, art was not exclusively created for the upper classes who could afford to commission it for private use. It was designed and produced for a general audience in the form of illustrated woodblock-printed books.
This artistic revolution was the result of newly-minted publishers in Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo, who began to experiment with woodblock printing—a process that, for over a thousand years, had been restricted to Japanese temples for the production of Buddhist texts.

A DPUL online exhibition [forthcoming] was also built as a companion to “The Art of Japanese Publishing: A Selection of Japanese Illustrated Books from the Marquand Library Collection 1660-1960” - a 2026 Princeton University Library Exhibition curated by Nicole Fabricand-Person ’76 *01, Japanese Art Specialist, Marquand Library of Art & Archaeology and Holly Hatheway, Director, Marquand Library of Art & Archaeology.

Content warning 

BE ADVISED: Some of the artwork and descriptions in this exhibition include references to sexual themes, nudity, and violence. 
Please note that homosexuality, an accepted practice in Tokugawa period Japan (1603-1868), followed a pattern of behavior known as “the way of youths” (wakashudō), which involved relationships between men and adolescent boys. It must also be acknowledged that the women who are celebrated in ukiyo-e books and prints were virtually enslaved, or at best indentured servants, purchased by brothel owners as children and trained from childhood to become the “courtesans” (yūjo 遊女) we see in these images. This exploitation and subjugation of women is openly rejected by Princeton University. The aim in including these materials in this exhibition is to educate about the attitudes and political and social conditions of the time period. 

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Princeton University Library claims no copyright governing this digital resource. It is provided for free, on a non-commercial, open-access basis, for fair-use academic and research purposes only. Anyone who claims copyright over any part of these resources and feels that they should not be presented in this manner is invited to contact Princeton University Library, who will in turn consider such concerns and make reasonable efforts to respond to such concerns.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], [Sub-collection name (if applicable)], The Art of Japanese Publishing Collection, Princeton University Library.

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