Japanese painting of a plum tree with blooming white flowers, set against a red and blue background, with small human figures at the bottom.
Traditional Japanese woodblock print of a large, powerful ocean wave with boats and Mount Fuji in the background.
Triptych of traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a large sea monster attacking a boat, with waves and fishermen.

AN ONLINE COURSE

The Floating World 

Japanese Prints of the Edo Period

Woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, from Edo period Japan are some of the most recognized images in the world. Most people have never heard the stories behind them, such as who made them and why. This online mini-course gives a brief overview of Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th through the 19th centuries.

Kabuki Actor in a frozen pose

Hokusai

Hiroshige

Ukiyo-e

Get to know the basics of Japanese prints .

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, artists in Edo Japan developed a printmaking tradition so visually powerful that it eventually crossed the Pacific and the Atlantic, influencing European artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Understanding Japanese print history is not only about understanding Japanese art. It also helps understand European art styles and movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This FREE, short, self-paced online mini-course is your way in.

Your Guide

A woman with wavy, shoulder-length brown hair and glasses, smiling at the camera against a plain light-colored background.

Dr. Cortney Chaffin Kim

Cortney earned an MA and PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in the art and archaeology of Asia. One of her favorite classes to teach is a semester-long course on the history of Japanese woodblock prints. Read more about Cortney.

Kabuki actor in full costume with the sun rising in the distance

Enroll now!

〰️

Enroll now! 〰️

The Floating World: Japanese Prints of the Edo Period
Free

A mini-course about Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period.

✓ Guided by an expert
✓ Unlimited lifetime access

What’s it like?

  • Figures walk in a snowy landscape against a grey sky

    Introductory

    No prior experience required

  • Figures travel through a windy blue landscape with Mt. Fuji in the distant background

    Self-paced

    Learn on your own time, at your own speed

  • Red Mount Fuji against a blue sky with white clouds

    7 Lessons

    2+ hours of videos, text, & images

  • Long boats are about to capsize under a great blue wave with snow-capped Mt. Fuji in the background

    FREE

    Revisit anytime—it’s yours forever

Who This Class Is For

  • Museum-goers

    You have stood in front of a Japanese print in a museum and wanted to understand it more deeply.

  • Lifelong learners

    You love art but have never had a formal way to study it.

  • Travelers

    You are planning a trip to Japan and want the visual vocabulary to go with it.

Course Details

A triptych Japanese ukiyo-e print depicting a large black sea creature, possibly a dragon or whale, emerging from turbulent blue waves with several smaller white sea creatures and people in boats, on a gray wall.

Introduction

A brief introduction to your guide and the course.

Three sake tasters huddle around a large keg of sake, ladling the beverage into small cups

The Floating World of Edo Japan

Setting the stage for understanding Japanese woodblock prints and the Floating World.

Interior scene of one of the brothels in Yoshiwara with dancers and musicians

Ukiyo-e in the 17th Century

An introduction to one of the earliest print designers in Japanese history: Hishikawa Moronobu, who is best known for his creation of the single sheet print.

A slender young girl gazes as a slender young samurai cloaked in black. They sit in a toothpick shop.

Ukiyo-e in the 18th Century

During the 18th century, techniques were developed to print in multiple colors. We explore the first print designer to produce multi-color prints: Suzuki Harunobu.

A giant blue wave cresting with Mt. Fuji in the background

Ukiyo-e in the 19th Century

We explore print designers Katsushika Hokusai and Ando Hiroshige, two of the most famous artists in the history of Japanese prints.

Seated portrait of Père Tanguy with a backdrop of Japanese ukiyo-e prints

The Afterlives of Japanese Prints

A brief look at some of the ways that Japanese prints have inspired other artists around the world, including Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • Absolutely. The Floating World was designed for people with no prior art history background.

  • Google gives you facts and can lead you in many different places (not all of them great). This course gives you more context.

    Dr. Chaffin Kim draws on years of university-level teaching to help you understand not just what you are looking at, but why it matters and how it connects to a bigger story.

  • Most modules are 10–25 minutes, so the whole course fits into a weekend—or you can spread it over a few weeks at your own pace.

  • ARTSQ was built on the belief that great art history education should be accessible to more people, not just students in university classrooms. This course is our way of putting that belief into practice.

  • Yes, but parents and teachers should use their best judgment. The course is designed for curious learners of all ages. It includes a short introduction to ukiyo-e, with brief, age-appropriate references to the entertainment districts of Edo, Japan (discussed in their historical context), as any world history course would address the period.

Text saying 'ABOUT' and ARTSQ in large letters.

We create engaging, research-based art and history education designed for real people—kids, students, teachers, parents, travelers, and lifelong learners

Portrait of Frida Kahlo, She wears a golden shawl and holds a boquet of pastel flowers in her hands.

We believe art history should be:

  • accessible

  • fun

  • visually rich

  • genuinely useful

Get on the Waitlist Now!

Get on the Waitlist Now!

A traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a large, blue ocean wave with other smaller waves around it, with Mount Fuji visible in the background.
The Floating World: Japanese Prints of the Edo Period
Free

A mini-course about Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period.

✓ Guided by an expert
✓ Unlimited lifetime access