Which pigment made many nineteenth-century ukiyo-e prints vividly blue?

Prussian blue made many nineteenth-century ukiyo-e prints vividly blue.

The synthetic pigment entered Japanese printmaking through foreign trade and became especially important during the early nineteenth century. Compared with some earlier blue colorants, it offered a strong, stable-looking blue that suited landscapes, water, clothing, and atmospheric effects.

Hokusai and Hiroshige used the pigment prominently in landscape prints. Its role is particularly visible in designs associated with the late Edo-period expansion of landscape publishing, when affordable color prints reached a broad audience. The pigment helped printers create deep blue passages and gradations that became central to the visual identity of many later ukiyo-e images.

Prussian blue is sometimes confused with indigo, a traditional plant-based dye, or with “blue print” as a generic description. The specific pigment matters because imported color materials changed the palette and commercial appeal of nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock prints.