Ukiyo-e : is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora, fauna and erotica. The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as 'picture[s] of the floating world.