Bijin with Umbrella

Bijin with Umbrella presents a beautiful woman carrying a paper umbrella — one of the most enduring subjects in the Japanese print tradition, updated through Mori's folk-art stencil approach. The umbrella as prop was simultaneously practical (protection from rain or sun) and decorative (an opportunity for pattern and color that complemented the kimono), and its curved form created a compositional counterpoint to the vertical figure beneath. Mori's bijin-ga subjects brought the classical genre into the mid-20th century with the bold graphic directness of his kappazuri technique.