Aizuri-e (Japanese: 藍摺り絵) literally means “blue printed picture”. The term usually refers to Japanese woodblock prints that are printed entirely or predominantly in blue. When a second color is used, it is usually red. Even if only a single type of blue ink was used, variations in lightness and darkness (value) could be achieved by superimposing multiple printings of parts of the design or by the application of a gradation of ink to the wooden printing block (bokashi).
The theory that aizuri-e production was prompted by the 1842 sumptuary laws known as the Tenpō reforms is no longer widely accepted.