Glossary of Terms
Click on the letter to go to the desired section.
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.
