Even though no law of intellectual property existed in Japan before the Meiji era, there was still a sense of ownership and rights with respect to the blocks from which the prints were produced.
A pesar de que no Xapón non existían leis de propiedade intelectual antes da era Meixi, existía un sentido de pertenza e dereitos respecto ás pranchas coas que se imprimían as estampas, chamadas zōhan.