Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-207) and index
The East Asian classical tradition, with its repertoire of ancient narratives and established pictorial themes, was a major force driving cultural development in Japan during the early modern or Edo period (1615-1868). This book offers an in-depth account of three aesthetic concepts - mitate, yatsushi, and fūryū - which influenced the way early-modern popular culture absorbed and responded to this force of cultural tradition. Combining literary, historical, and visual evidence, the book examines particularly how the three concepts guided artistic choices in the context of Floating World prints (ukiyo-e), and how the concepts have shaped the direction of ukiyo-e studies since the Meiji period (1868-1912)
