Glossary of Terms

Gauffrage: in woodblock printing, embossing achieved by printing from uncolored blocks.

Gefu: an album.

Geijutsu: fine arts.

Geisha: a woman entertainer, accomplished in music, dancing, conversation. Popular from the 1750's onward.

Gempi: a type of strong, handmade paper.

Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji): the greatest novel in early Japanese literature, written in the first decade of the 11th century by Lady Murasaki; it mirrors the court life and the aesthetic preoccupation of the Heian aristocracy.

Genre: representations of scenes from everyday life.

Genroku: the name of the era (nengô) from 1688-1704, noted for its luxury.

Giga: term meaning "drawn for amusement".

Gigaku: ancient dance in which masks covering the entire head were worn. See also Bugaku.

Ginkakuji: the Silver Pavilion, northeast of Kyoto.

Gô: an artist's "pen name" or pseudonym; a board game of skill (Japanese checkers).

Gofun: an opaque white pigment made from either lead white or pulverized oyster shells. Often splashed on a print to imitate effects such as snow in a three dimensional manner.

Goyô eshi: a master painter employed by the court or bakufu.

Grass script: the cursive script, called sôsho in Japanese, in which the characters are extremely abbreviated.

Gyosho: an informal style of calligraphy.