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Traditional Japanese woodblock prints are collectively referred to as ukiyo-e, which literally means pictures ('e') of the floating world ('ukiyo') and is derived from a Buddhist concept pertaining to the fleeting nature of life. However, during the Edo Period (1615—1868), the concept of ukiyo acquired a more nuanced meaning: the impermanence of our existence became a justification to indulge in the pleasures and entertainments that are available at this fleeting moment (for a price). As such, the realm of the floating world was that of the pleasure quarters, houses of …