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
Facing the Morning Light — 朝の光へ
Woodblock print
Saint Mary
November 1924
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
When the Flame Goes Out — きえてあとなき
Woodblock print
Virgin Mary
Woodblock print
A young woman
Woodblock print
#5 Glossy dark hair
Not set
Woodblock print
Expression of Eyes (Hitomi) - 瞳
1930
Woodblock print
CH1- Kiritsubo — 桐壺
Woodblock print
Mistletoe
Woodblock print
Chapter 39- Yugiri - 夕霧
Woodblock print
Ukifune
Woodblock print
An00023936 001 L
Woodblock print
Nap (Hirune)
Woodblock print
Intimacy Black and White
Woodblock print
House of Pleasure on the Hill (Oka no seirô)
Woodblock print
Rouge
Woodblock print
Ikeda Shoen (1884-1917)
1924
Woodblock print
Kazue Yamagishi
Not set
Woodblock print
Les Jades. Chinoise (Jade Lady. Chinese)
1940
Woodblock print
Nails (three in series)
1930
Woodblock print
The Embrace
Not set
Woodblock print
Akashi
Woodblock print
Prayer Offering
Woodblock print
Ten Types of Female Nudes: Reading (Rajo jusshu: Dokusho)
Woodblock print
Reading a Letter
Woodblock print
May
Woodblock print
Intimacy Red and Black
Woodblock print
Ranto — 蘭燈
Woodblock print
Expression of Eyes
1931
Woodblock print
Make-up
1930
Woodblock print
Black Hair. Series: Kindai Jisei no sho no uchi go
1931
Woodblock print
Styles of Contemporary Make-up: no. 5, Glossy Black Hair (Kindaijisesho no uchi: go, Kurokami)
1931
Woodblock print
The Tale Of Genji Tamakatsura From Lady Murasakis The Tale Of Genji
Woodblock print
Chinese Lady in Red
Woodblock print
A frontispiece of a novel, 1904
Woodblock print
Welcome
Woodblock print
Sleeping woman — 眠る婦人
Woodblock print
Sprucing Up — Neru no Kanshoku
Woodblock print
![Title unknown [Michiyuki] by Takehisa Yumeji](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/132723.jpg)
Title unknown [Michiyuki]
1910s–1930s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Souvenirs d'Autrefois Japon (Memories of the Past Japan)
1941
Woodblock print
Glossy dark hair
Not set
Woodblock print
Styles of Contemporary Make-up: no. 1, Tipsy (Kindaijisesho no uchi: ichi, Horoyoi)
1930
Woodblock print
Ancient Court Wagon for Ladies
Woodblock print
Watanabe Ikuharu
1930
Woodblock print
Chapter 51 - Ukifune
Woodblock print
Letter
Woodblock print
Dream- oban
Woodblock print
Young Woman Amid Morning Glories 17/30
1956
Woodblock print
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
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.