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Ukiyo-e Quiz — Japan's Most Famous Woodblock Prints
The Great Wave, the giant skeleton, the fifty-three stations as cats — ukiyo-e woodblock prints are how the world first pictured Japan, and every sheet is full of stories. This quiz plays with 30 originals from the Metropolitan Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and other open collections: guess the print in the daily round, learn to tell Hokusai from Hiroshige, and — the fun part — read the real Japanese written on the signboards and title cartouches inside the pictures.
Tap a print to see its Japanese title, artist and story — every sheet is an original from a museum collection. Ready? Try the Daily, or learn to spot the artists.
New to ukiyo-e? Read the story first →Learn to tell Hokusai from Hiroshige →
Advanced — the deeper cuts
Every image is an original ukiyo-e work from an open museum collection — no reproductions or AI images. Each answer names the collection and links to the museum's own page. Old character forms appear in the prints (冨 for 富, 國 for 国); the explanations point them out as you go.
Can you read the site names?
Every name above is written in kanji with its reading. Our kanji course teaches you to read them for real — mnemonics included.
FAQ
What is ukiyo-e?
Ukiyo-e — "pictures of the floating world" — are Japanese woodblock prints made roughly from the 1600s to the 1800s. They were popular, affordable media: landscapes, kabuki actors, beauties, ghosts and city life, printed by a team of designer, carver and printer. This quiz plays with 30 of the most famous sheets, all from open museum collections.
What is the most famous ukiyo-e print?
Under the Wave off Kanagawa — the Great Wave — by Katsushika Hokusai, from his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. It is probably the most reproduced artwork in the world, and it opens this quiz along with Red Fuji, Hiroshige's rain and snow scenes, and Kuniyoshi's giant skeleton.
How do I tell Hokusai and Hiroshige apart?
A rule of thumb from Japanese art guides: Hokusai builds bold shapes and daring compositions — waves and mountains locked into strong geometry — while Hiroshige paints weather and travel: rain, snow and mist falling over roads and bridges. The Artists mode drills exactly this eye.
Can you really read the Japanese inside the prints?
Often, yes. Shop signboards, station-name tags and title cartouches were printed in clear block script so ordinary Edo readers could read them — 現金 "cash" on a store sign, 日本橋 on a bridge scene. The Read mode quizzes only clearly legible writing, and notes old character forms along the way.
Are these the real prints?
Yes — every image is an original work from a museum collection: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and other open-access collections. Each answer shows the collection credit and links to the museum's own object page.