Glossary of Terms
Click on the letter to go to the desired section.
Naga-e (naga-ban): a long, narrow print, about 20 x 9 inches.
Nagasaki-e (Nagasaki pictures): souvenir prints made at Nagasaki which primarily represent foreigners and their ships.
Namban (literally, "southern barbarian"): a term applied to the first Europeans to appear in Japan (mid-16th century).
Netsuke: toggle used in suspending an inrô or a tobacco pouch from the obi.
Nihon: Japan.
Nihonbashi: the bridge in the center of Edo, starting point of the Tokaido highway.
Nihonga (Japanese-style painting): a Meiji-period and later style based in traditional Japanese painting which employed ink and watercolor on silk and paper.
Nishiki-e (Brocade pictures): prints which employ multiple color blocks of more than ten colors.
Nô (or Noh): classical drama of the aristocratic classes. Contrary to Kabuki, Nô was not regularly portrayed on prints. Nô is characterized by its use of masks.
