$5,000–$40,000. This is one of the artist's most iconic images and commands premium prices. Rare compositions: $25,000–$40,000. Key value factors: Very limited output makes all prints relatively scarce. The 'Styles of Contemporary Make-up' series is most collected.
"Bijin in a Plum Garden" (Ume bijin) presents a beautiful woman among the blossoming plum trees — an early spring subject with deep classical associations in Japanese art and poetry, where the plum's fragrant blossoms signal the end of winter and the beginning of renewal. Kobayakawa's bijin is not merely backdrop against these blossoms but engaged with them — her gaze and posture suggesting appreciation rather than passive display. The combination of floral setting and female figure places this work firmly in the bijin-ga tradition while Kobayakawa's characterization gives it contemporary specificity.
Not set
Woodblock print
1/1931
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
1924
Oil on board
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Bijin in a Plum Garden — 梅美人 was created by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川清) in Not set.
Bijin in a Plum Garden — 梅美人 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (Not set).
Bijin in a Plum Garden — 梅美人 depicts bijin-ga, gardens, and food & drink.
