Status Updates From Japanese Prints: Ukiyo-e in...

On censorship: The constraints imposed on publishers, and the vigour with which they were enforced, varied over time but certain bans were constant: Christianity, the imperial court, the shogun's government, the samurai elite and their forebears, contemporary and recent events, foreign relations, and scandals in any class of society could not be depicted or alluded to in commercial publications(...).

Many of these early painter-enthusiasts, such as Manet, Monet and Degas, are known today as Impressionists, but before that term was coined in 1874 they were referred to as les japonais. This reflected their passionate engagement with Japanese art in general, and Japanese prints in particular.