is a Japanese picture
calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physi ...
, in which the length and order of the months are deducible, like a
code
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
, from cryptic markings that are incomprehensible to most people but transparent to enthusiasts.
These type of calendars thrived during the so-called
Meiwa era of the late 18th century. This was a period when it was prohibited to make unofficial calendars. Since these kinds of calendars were illegal, it has been claimed that calendar markings that would have indicated the purpose of these pictures as a calendar, were not included. However, the extent to which these pictures misled the authorities is a topic of debate.
These calendar
woodblock prints
Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. Each page or image is create ...
were
surimono, privately commissioned and published works not intended for the general public but used within private circles. Eventually, the same pictures reached the public market: the calendar information was carved off the wooden blocks, which were then reprinted and sold.
See also
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Ukiyo-e
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Woodblock printing in Japan
References
Further reading
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External links
Japanese art
History of art in Japan
{{Japan-art-stub