The ukiyo-e genre of art flourished in Japan from the 17th to the 19th
century. 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 and
fauna, and erotica. The term ukiyo-e refers to pictures of the ukiyo or
"floating world" of kabuki theatre, courtesans, and geisha of the
pleasure districts. Images of this environment became successful in the
1670s with Moronobu's paintings and monochromatic prints of beautiful
women. By the 1740s, artists such as Masanobu were using multiple
woodblocks to print areas of colour. In the 1760s, with the success of
Harunobu's "brocade prints", full-colour production of prints made with
numerous blocks became standard. Portraits of beauties and actors by
masters such as Kiyonaga, Utamaro, and Sharaku were prominent in the
late 18th century. Masters from the 19th century include the bold
formalist Hokusai, whose Great Wave off Kanagawa is one of the best-
known works of Japanese art, and the serene, atmospheric Hiroshige, most
noted for his series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1658:
Anglo-Spanish War: English colonial forces repelled a Spanish
attack in the largest battle ever fought on the island of Jamaica.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rio_Nuevo>
1950:
The Korean War began with North Korean forces launching a pre-
dawn raid over the 38th parallel into South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War>
1967:
More than an estimated 400 million people viewed Our World, the
first live international satellite television production.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_World_(TV_special)>
2009:
Singer Michael Jackson died as a result of the combination of
drugs in his body.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Michael_Jackson>
2013:
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the eighth Emir of Qatar, and
is currently the world's youngest reigning monarch.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamim_bin_Hamad_Al_Thani>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
glen:
A secluded and narrow valley, especially one with a river running
through it; a dale; a depression between hills.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glen>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Forgive him who wrongs you; join him who cuts you off; do good to
him who does evil to you; and speak the truth even if it be against
yourself.
--Muhammad
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muhammad>