The newer term at times was used to mean `` erotic '' or `` stylish '' , amongst other meanings , and came to describe the hedonistic spirit of the time for the lower classes , celebrated in the novel Ukiyo monogatari ( `` Tales of the Floating World '' , c. 1661 ) by Asai Ryōi : The earliest ukiyo-e artists were painters before they were printmakers .
A novelist of the time period , Asai Ryōi , in his Ukiyo monogatari ( 浮世物語 , `` Tales of the Floating World '' , c. 1661 ? )