Bijin-ga Prints (1154)
Bijin-ga — literally "pictures of beautiful people" — is one of the foundational genres of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The tradition dates to the earliest days of ukiyo-e, when artists like Hishikawa Moronobu and later Kitagawa Utamaro elevated portrayals of women from simple illustrations to sophisticated studies of beauty, fashion, and personality. Utamaro's bust portraits of the 1790s, which isolated individual faces against plain backgrounds, were revolutionary in their psychological depth and compositional daring. His contemporaries Chobunsai Eishi and Torii Kiyonaga developed complementary approaches, emphasizing graceful full-length figures in elaborate settings. The genre documented the changing ideals of feminine beauty across centuries, from the rounded features favored in the Edo period to the elongated elegance of the Meiji era. The shin-hanga revival of the early twentieth century produced a final flowering of bijin-ga, with artists like Ito Shinsui, Torii Kotondo, and Hashiguchi Goyo creating some of the genre's most refined works. These artists brought Western-influenced light and shadow to traditional subjects, producing prints that are among the most sought-after in the Japanese print market today. Bijin-ga prints are prized for their technical virtuosity, particularly the rendering of fabric patterns, hair arrangements, and subtle skin tones achieved through multiple woodblock impressions.
Artists Known for Bijin-ga
Nippon Jozokusen / Women's Customs in Japan
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Nasanu Naka
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Hair
1930
Color woodblock print
After the Bath
Woodblock print
After the Bath (Tokyo) / Nihon jozoku sen (Woman's Customs in Japan)
Woodblock print
Tipsy
1930
Woodblock print
A hood — Okoso-Zukin
Woodblock print
Princess showing upper arm
1958
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Tired look
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Gazing Woman
Woodblock print
Total Abandon (Mukotai no saku), from a series iIllustrating Tanizaki Junichiro's "The Key (Kagi)"
1956 (printed 1958)
Woodblock print
Returning from a Bath — 湯がへり
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Kasumi Teshigawara arranging chrysanthemums — 菊を活ける勅使ヶ原霞女史
Woodblock print
The Wife's Surprise (Tsumatachi no saku), from the series "The Tale of the Auklet (Uto Hanga-kan)"
1938
Woodblock print
Untitled (asada-benji)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
TotalCount
1929
Woodblock print
Kiss — くちづけ
Not set
Woodblock print
Hair - 髪
circa 1970s (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Uta Sugata — うた姿
Woodblock print
Pose - ポーズ
1984
Woodblock print
Takasawa Keiichi Painting Collection - 高沢圭一画集
1977
Woodblock print
Woman and Snowflakes
Not set
Woodblock print
Lament — 愁
1980
Woodblock print
Number 4 (1)
1969
Woodblock print
Wife and Lamp — 夫人とランプ
circa 1970-1990
Woodblock print
Woman and Snowflakes
Not set
Woodblock print
The Lesson — レッスン
1974
Woodblock print
6 Dreams of Ukiyo Beauty: Ease
2008
Mokuhanga
No 2
Not set
Woodblock print
Number 3 (1)
1969
Woodblock print
Pose — ポーズ
4
Woodblock print
The Kiss
Not set
Woodblock print
Number 1 (1)
1969
Woodblock print
Pose — ポーズ
4
Woodblock print
Shark-Spot Pattern - 鮫小紋
circa 1970s (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Crimson
Not set
Woodblock print
Moegi-iro no (Light Green)
もえぎ色の
Mezzotint
Yasou (Nocturne)
夜想
Mezzotint
Behind the Screen
Mezzotint
Sleeping Beauty - Moegi-iro
もえぎ色
Mezzotint
Juliet
Mezzotint
Number 2 (1)
1969
Woodblock print
Number 5 (1)
1969
Woodblock print
Pose — ポーズ
4
Woodblock print
Takasawa Keiichi
circa 1970s (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Lament — 愁
1980
Woodblock print
Takasawa Keiichi Painting Collection - 高沢圭一画集
1984
Woodblock print
TotalCount
circa 1970s (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Hair - 髪
circa 1970s (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Bijin-ga — literally "pictures of beautiful people" — is one of the foundational genres of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The tradition dates to the earliest days of ukiyo-e, when artists like Hishikawa Moronobu and later Kitagawa Utamaro elevated portrayals of women from simple illustrations to sophisticated studies of beauty, fashion, and personality.
Torii Kotondo, Hashiguchi Goyo, and Ito Shinsui are among the artists most associated with bijin-ga in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 1154 prints tagged with bijin-ga, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.