By the late 17th century AD it was no longer the warrior class that dictated the trends of artistic production, but rather the townsmen. Merchants were in control of the expanding economy, and a substantial urban population developed with disposable income and leisure time. Their interest lay chiefly in the world around them, and the immediate pleasures to be had. They were generally well-educated, and appreciated the wealth of allusions and punning references to other works and to older literary traditions that was characteristic of contemporary culture.

People could go shopping or enjoy outings to temples, shrines and beauty spots. The most popular entertainments, however, were the kabuki theatre and the pleasure quarters, where thousands of women worked, as entertainers, waitresses and prostitutes. In time, this arena of pleasurable but fleeting pastimes came to be known as 'the floating world' (ukiyo).

A lively print culture had developed in the 17th century, and hand-coloured illustrated novels, as well as single-sheet images, became popular commodities. In 1765 the first polychrome woodblock prints appeared. Print-artists developed characteristic styles to depict a wide range of subject matter, such as celebrity actors and courtesans, landscapes, warriors, historical events, still lifes, humorous scenes, and parodies.