Entering the exhibition room at the Fujisawa Ukiyo-e Museum in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, newcomers to the art form are offered helpful explanations about the marks on ukiyo-e as well as carving and printing techniques. One explanation states, for example, that ukiyo-e engravers and printers began to put their names on prints and paintings around the end of the Edo period (1603-1867). Visitors can also learn about hanmotoin, or the seal of the publisher, and aratamein, or the seal of the censor to show a work had been approved.
The museum is home to about 1,500 ukiyo-e related to the city and its vicinity, including Enoshima island, one of ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige's favorite motifs. Visitors can enjoy a variety of ukiyo-e made by famous artists.
