Shyness — はじらい
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
$300–$3,000. Common illustrations: $300–$800. Key value factors: Iwata's stylish modern women prints bridge illustration and fine art. Original prints command more than reproductions.
Shyness, or Hajirai in Japanese, portrays an emotional state through posture and gesture rather than narrative. The subject's body language communicates self-consciousness, perhaps a downward glance, a turned shoulder, or a hand raised to partially conceal the face. Iwata's [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock captures this fleeting mood with the stillness inherent in the print medium, freezing a moment of bashfulness that in life would last only seconds. The Japanese title carries a particular gentleness, suggesting not painful embarrassment but the appealing modesty valued in traditional Japanese ideals of feminine beauty.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Shyness — はじらい was created by Sentaro Iwata (岩田専太郎).
Shyness — はじらい depicts figures and bijin-ga.
