Ukiyo-e (???), "pictures of the floating world", is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the Tokugawa or Edo Period (1615-1868). They were mass produced and meant for mainly townsmen, who were generally not wealthy enough to afford an original painting. The original subject of ukiyo-e was city life, in particular activities and scenes from the entertainment district; featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre and pleasure quarters.