Chic off the old block: why Japan's masters were prints among men

They may look a little like old Japanese comics, with their unusual human forms and dreamy landscapes, but ukiyo-e woodblock prints are arguably the country's most influential art form.

Van Gogh had a large collection, which he exhibited at the Cafe du Tambourin in Paris. His Japonaiserie: Oiran was based on a print by ukiyo-e master Kesai Eisan. Other artists such as Manet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec and Gauguin were also fascinated by the ukiyo-e's flat spaces and shapes, decorative patterns and unusual perspectives. 'These Japanese confirmed my belief in our vision,' wrote Pissaro in 1893.

Depicting urban life during the Edo Period [1603-1867], the ukiyo-e captured scenes of actors, beauties, entertainers and athletes of the day. The term, which literally means 'pictures of the floating world', was adopted from Buddhism in the late 17th century by Japanese writers wanting to describe 'the world of transient pleasure-seeking'.

The first major exhibition of ukiyo-e in Hong Kong for seven years is now on show at the University of Hong Kong's University Museum and Gallery. It includes more than 30 rare prints contributed by Ella Tam - the first time her collection is being shown in public.

One print shows a princess surrounded by magic flames, her body twisted and her kimono in disarray. This 1850 work by Toyokuni III, shows a particular quality of the ukiyo-e: the artist's attempt to portray the human form from an unusual angle. Another, by Kunisada Utagawa in 1840, depicts a kabuki actor dressed as a young samurai. The figure, cool and rebellious, is rendered in minute detail. Even the hair can be seen clearly, an example of the superb technique of the ukiyo-e. There are also pictures featuring heroes in Chinese classical novels - a frequent theme in ukiyo-e. A key figure in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, is depicted in an 1853 piece by Kuniyoshi Utagawa. It shows that the artist paid as much attention to the background as to the figures.

'Technically, the ukiyo-e is just amazing,' says exhibition curator Anita Wong Yin-fong. 'One woodblock produces only one colour. The number of woodblocks employed is equivalent to the number of colours that appear. There can be more than 20 blocks used for one print.'