Bijin-ga Prints (1084)
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
Kazue Yamagishi
Woodblock print
Image No.6 Motherhood (1)
Woodblock print
A Sad Woman
Woodblock print
To The Morning Light - 朝の光へ
Woodblock print
![Title unknown [Young couple looking into a well] by Takehisa Yumeji](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/132729.jpg)
Title unknown [Young couple looking into a well]
1910s–1930s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Black hair
Not dated (1931)
Woodblock print
Pupil of the Eye 5/100
1931
Woodblock print
Styles of Contemporary Make-up: no. 4, Pupil of the Eye (Kindaijisesho no uchi: Hitomi)
1931
Woodblock print
Chapter 13 - Akashi
Woodblock print
Chapter 40 - Prayer Offering - 御法
Woodblock print
Princess Nukata
Woodblock print
Dutch Woman
Woodblock print
Kobori Tomoto
Woodblock print
Kajita Hanko
Woodblock print
A Bath
Woodblock print
Chapter 44 - Takekawa
Woodblock print
Yomogyu (Weeds)
Woodblock print
Frontispiece of a novel, from
Woodblock print
A frontispiece of a novel, 1901
Woodblock print
Bijin 2, Beauties of the Twelve Months
Woodblock print
Courtesan and Two Kamuro Promenading on a City Street
Woodblock print
Maiko
Woodblock print
Daikoku, God of Health, Personified by a Courtesan of Shimabara
Woodblock print
Jyo No Maiko (Opening Dance)
Woodblock print
The Ladies' Graphic vol. 4 no. 4
Woodblock print
Combing Her Hair
Woodblock print
Ayame Yukata
Woodblock print
Beni (Rouge)
Woodblock print
Nap
Woodblock print
Combing the Hair, Kamisuki
Woodblock print
Combing The Hair
Woodblock print
To the Morning Light (Ten Female Subjects)
Woodblock print
Princess Tatsuta
Woodblock print
Red Juban
Woodblock print
The Day She Takes her Vows
Woodblock print
In the bath
Woodblock print
Aiaigasa (Sharing an Umbrella)
Woodblock print
After the Bath
Woodblock print
Hot Springs Inn
Woodblock print
Mosquito Net
Woodblock print
After the bath
Woodblock print
Ghost with Sword
Woodblock print
Female Ghost (Complete Works of Chikamatsu)
Woodblock print
Dressing the Hair for New Years Day
Woodblock print
First Make-Up of the New Year
Woodblock print
The Lovers Mikkatsu and Akane-ya Hanschichi
Woodblock print
The Heron Maiden
Woodblock print
Umegawa
Woodblock print
The Sound of the Bell
Woodblock print
First Love 2
Woodblock print
Bathing Beauties
2026
2026 Unique, Drypoint and relief print on Japanese paper H43 x W36 cm (framed dimensions)
Beautiful Woman
1892
Silk
Beautiful Woman
1880
Silk
A Beauty at the Spring Window
Nihonga (natural mineral pigments) on silk
Beauty from Anei Era
1896
N/A
Beauty of the Moment
Moku Hanga
Woman Combing Her Hair
1982
Woodblock
Portrait of a Beauty
1911
Sepia ink and pencil on paper
Woman with a Red Tray
1920
N/A
Moga Reclining (Nude)
Oil on canvas
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.
Hashiguchi Goyo, Torii Kotondo, and Takehisa Yumeji 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 1084 prints tagged with bijin-ga, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.