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
Sai Jinhua from China
Woodblock print
Plaything (Tawamure)
1936
Color woodblock print
Arai, Yoshimune
Woodblock print
Two Pair of Eyes — 二人の瞳
1996
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Genji Monogatari
Woodblock print
Aoyagi
1942
Woodblock print
Woman Kneeling Before a Mirror
Woodblock print
Yamamura, Toyonari
Woodblock print
Ten Types of Female Nudes: At the Bath (Rajo jusshu: Yokushitsu nite)
Woodblock print
Ikio
Not set
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
After Yamamura, Toyonari
Woodblock print
Kotatsu- Japanese warmer
Not set
Woodblock print
Woman Kneeling in Shade
c. 1940
Color woodblock print
Yamamura Kôka (Toyonari)
Woodblock print
An00224717 001 L
Woodblock print
Youth
Woodblock print
Haori - はおり
c. 1980 (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Tinkle of a Bell (Suzu no ne), from the series "Ten Types of Female Nudes (Rajo jusshu)"
1935
Color woodblock print
Reflection in a Mirror- Marumage — Marumage (Natsu)
1953
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Yoshimune 2 Utagawa (1863-1941)
Woodblock print
Four PM, from the series "Twenty-Four Hours in Shinbashi and Yanagibashi"
n.d.
Color woodblock print
Umbrella with bulls-eye pattern — 蛇の目
Not set
Woodblock print
Rafu
Woodblock print
Heroine Toragozin in SOGA
Woodblock print
Lipstick- Kuchibeni
Not set
Woodblock print
Tatsumi, Shimura
1953
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Sisters
1907
Color woodcut
After Bath
January 1932
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (kitano-tsunetomi)
Woodblock print
Tipsy
1930
Woodblock print
Ten Types of Female Nudes: Reading (Rajo jusshu: Dokusho)
Woodblock print
Relaxing (Ikoi), from the series "Ten Types of Female Nudes (Rajo jusshu)"
1935
Color woodblock print
Hatsumode — 初詣
Not set
Woodblock print
Kagami-Jishi
Not set
Woodblock print
Illumination — あかり
circa 1970-1990
Woodblock print
Gesture - しぐさ
c. 1980 (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Ohara-me
Woodblock print
Untitled (yamamura-toyonari)
Woodblock print
Heroine Toragozen
Woodblock print
Ohmi Gallery
Woodblock print
New Year's Day at Ogi-ya brothel
1811
Color woodblock prints; oban pentaptych
Preparation — 仕度
Not set
Woodblock print
Yoshiwara
1785-1787
Untitled (hiromitsu-nakazawa)
Woodblock print
Before a Mirror
1927
Woodblock print
![Untitled [Two women] by Kajita Hanko](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/135758.jpg)
Untitled [Two women]
19th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
The Pearls (Les Perles)
1950
Color woodblock print
Haori- Japanese Formal Coat
Not set
Woodblock print
Reading
1935
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Bored (tsurezure), from the series "Ten Types of Female Nudes (Rajo jusshu)"
1935
Color woodblock print
Short Sleeve Kimono — 小袖幕
1970
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.