picture puzzle; rebus
A traditional Japanese puzzle where pictures or symbols represent words or syllables, often used in ukiyo-e prints and popular entertainment.
During the Edo period, picture puzzles were popular among common people.
This ukiyo-e print is a rebus, a game of guessing the hidden words.
Compound of 判じ (from 判じる 'to guess, to interpret') and 絵 'picture'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since the Edo period for rebus-like picture puzzles.