Hair (Kami), Shôwa period, dated 1953

Hair (kami)—rendered as both title and subject in this Showa-period print dated 1953—takes as its focus the elaborate coiffure that was one of the most formally demanding elements of bijin-ga composition. Shinsui's print organizes itself around the woman's hair: its arrangement, the ornaments that punctuate it, and the way it frames and defines the face beneath. The single-character title, simple as a haiku keyword, directs attention with absolute economy to the subject's essential feature.