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
Sad Whistle — 悲しき口笛
1996
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
After the Bath
Woodblock print
Japanese Art Open Database
Woodblock print
Bored
Woodblock print
Relaxing
Woodblock print
Akashi-Cho - 明石町
Not set
Woodblock print
The Heroine Osen after a Bath 40/200
c. 1938
Woodblock print
Uemura, Shoen
Woodblock print
March
Woodblock print
Fujimusume
Woodblock print
2nd Floor of the Kadoebiya Green house in the Shin-Yoshiwara
Woodblock print
First Make-Up of the New Year (Hatsugesho)
Woodblock print
Iwata, Sentaro
Woodblock print
Make-up Before the Mirror
Woodblock print
Woman Standing in Kimono on Rokka
Early 20th century, or 1940s printing of earlier design
Woodblock print; sumizuri-e
Modern Musume
Woodblock print
Kitano Tsunetomi
Woodblock print
Terashima Shimei
Woodblock print
Incense Advertising Poster
Woodblock print
Untitled (yamakawa-shuho)
Woodblock print
Three girls strolling at Arashiyama
Woodblock print
Japanese Art Open Database
Woodblock print
Print 1
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Umbrella
1935
Woodblock print
Shuho, Yamakawa
Woodblock print
Yurimoto, Keiko
Woodblock print
Asian Collection Internet Auction
Woodblock print
Genroku Beaty
Woodblock print
Naka Sector in the Yoshiwara
Woodblock print
An00592340 001 L
Woodblock print
Ohmi Gallery
Woodblock print
Various artists
Woodblock print
Umegawa (Umegawa from the play Meido no hikyaku)
1923
Color woodblock print
Heroine Umekawa in MEIDO NO HIYAKU
Woodblock print
After A Bath (1)
Woodblock print
Shyness — はじらい
Woodblock print
First Love 10
Woodblock print
Volume 2 - Kaburagi Kiyokata
1977
Woodblock print
TotalCount
Not dated
Woodblock print
Harvard Art Museum
Woodblock print
Kagamiyama Woman — 鏡山のはつ女
Woodblock print
Shinbashi
c. 1914–1916
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Arakida
Woodblock print
Before the Mirror
Woodblock print
Imayo (Modern) 19
Woodblock print
Blindfold Game
Woodblock print
First Love 14
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Yoshiji よしぢ
Woodblock print
Red Collar
1928
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Ohmi Gallery
Woodblock print
Carmen
1934
Woodblock printed book
Nagasaki Maruyama no kei 長崎丸山の景 / Shokoku Meisho Hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
Obi - Kimono — Obi帯
Woodblock print
First Love 8 A
Woodblock print
Afternoon
Woodblock print
Chieko
1913
Woodblock print
Untitled (terashima-shimei)
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.