Ukiyo-zōshi

Ukiyo-zoshi is the first major genre of popular Japanese fiction, written between the 1680s and 1770s in Kyoto and Osaka. It developed out of the broader genre of kana-zoshi, vernacular books written for enjoyment, and was initially classified under that term; ukiyo-zoshi first appeared in 1710 to describe amorous or erotic works before broadening to cover many subjects and aspects of Edo-period life, most commonly that of the ordinary townsperson, often illustrated with ukiyo-e prints by prominent artists. Its most prominent author was Ihara Saikaku, whose work was not regarded as high literature in his own time but proved popular and central to the genre's spread; the genre lasted less than a century before declining through conventionalization and a lack of new ideas.