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
Resembling a Branch (Eda ni utsusu), from the series The Appearance of Upper-Class Women of the Edo Period (Tokugawa jidai kifujin no sugata) -- Woman with a Doll
Meiji period, dated October 10, 1896
Woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper
Woman with Chrysanthemums
Meiji period, circa 1890s
Woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper
Woman with Chrysanthemums, Meiji period, circa 1890s
Woodblock print
Beauty 1
Woodblock print
Bijin and Beetle Stall (1)
Woodblock print
Bijin and hat box
Woodblock print
Bijin in Red (1)
Woodblock print
Bijin playing battledore
Woodblock print
Bijin With Fan in Garden
Woodblock print
![Bookplate design [woman playing shamisen] by Takehisa Yumeji](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/132724.jpg)
Bookplate design [woman playing shamisen]
1910s–1930s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Courtesan and man attendant walking in the night, illustration from the book Narrow Alley (Roji no hosomichi)
March 1919
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
High Climb, woman with shamisen
Woodblock print
![Title unknown [Woman with green and white fan] by Takehisa Yumeji](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/132727.jpg)
Title unknown [Woman with green and white fan]
1910s–1930s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Woman in Chapel
Woodblock print
Woman in Despair
Woodblock print
Woman in Lavender
Woodblock print
A Collection of Eastern Brocade Beauties: First Night (Azuma nishiki bijin awase: Shoya)
Woodblock print
A Collection of Eastern Brocade Beauties: Morning Tears (Azuma nishiki bijin awase: Asa ni Namida)
Woodblock print
A Collection of Eastern Brocade Beauties: Twilight (Azuma nishiki bijin awase: Tasogare)
Woodblock print
Kyo Maiko original conte drawing
Woodblock print
Kyu Maiko
Woodblock print
The Actor Ichikawa Komazo as a Woman with Dishevelled Hair
c. 1791
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Two Beauties Dressed as Komuso Priests (Komuso sugata no ni bijin)
Woodblock print
Woman Holding a Fan (from the series Ten Aspects of the Physiognomy of Women)
c. 1793
color woodblock print
Woman Holding an Uchiwa
Woodblock print
Woman Holding up a Piece of Fabric (Nuno o kazasu onna)
Woodblock print
Woman Writing
1753–1806
color woodblock print
Courtesan
Woodblock print
Geisha Standing on the Bank of the Sumida River (from the series People Who Like the Latest Fashions and Manners)
early 1830s
color woodblock print
Mino, Ushiwaka Maru at the Inn, sword in hand. Bijin mitate.
Woodblock print
A Woman A
Contemporary - Circa 1968
Woodblock print
Genji Woman B
1981
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Akashi of the Tamaya, from the series Seven Komachis of Yoshiwara (Seiro nana Komachi) (Tamaya uchi Akashi, Uraji, Shimano)
Woodblock print
Genji Woman II
1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Five, Hinazō
early summer 1922
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Mosquito Net (Kaya), from the series Model Young Women Woven in Mist (Kasumi-ori musume hinagata), Late Edo period, circa 1794-1795
Woodblock print
Eyes, Hitomi, no. 4 from the series Modern Styles of Makeup
1/1931
Woodblock print
Mirror, from the series "Eight Women of Modern Times (Imayo fujin hattai no uchi)"
1929
Color woodblock print; edition 12/80
Japanese Art Open Database
Woodblock print
Koman
Woodblock print
Untitled
Morning
Woodblock print
Lipstick - 口紅
c. 1980 (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Saseru
Not set
Woodblock print
Arai Yoshimune II
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Nakazawa, Hiromitsu
Woodblock print
Welcome (Kangei), frontispiece illustration from the literary magazine Bungei kurabu 10, no. 10
Woodblock print
After the Bath (Yuagari)
Woodblock print
Untitled (ishikawa-toraji)
Woodblock print
At the Bath
1934
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Plaything
Woodblock print
Tinkle of the bell
Woodblock print
Tamoto
Not set
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiromitsu-nakazawa)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiromitsu-nakazawa)
Woodblock print
Slovenly (Shidaranasaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
Untitled (hirano-hakuho)
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.