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
Untitled (fujiki-kikumaro)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
TotalCount
1953
Woodblock print
Lady in Western Costume
Woodblock print
TotalCount
1920
Woodblock print
Various
Not set
Woodblock print
Two Female Bathers, One Kneeling and Giving Herself a Pedicure, One Seated and Looking at Her Reflection in a Mirror, Taishô period, dated 1918 (7th month of Taishô 9)
Taishô period, 1912-1926
Woodblock print
Long Undergarment
長襦袢
1921
Color woodblock print
Woman Dressing (posthumous edition circa 1922?), Taishô period, circa 1919-1922
Taishô period, 1912-1926
Woodblock print
Hanging Hair
髪梳き
1929
Color woodblock print
Court lady reading letter
Late Meiji Period (1886-1912)
Woodblock print
No Series Lady In Modern Dress In Taisho Era
Woodblock print
Lip Rouge
October 1922
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Woman Applying Powder
化粧の女
1918
Color woodblock print
Two Women After Bath
designed: 1920 (Taishō 9), July; printed: c. 1950 (Shōwa 25)
Woodblock print; ink and mica on paper
In The Mirror (1)
Woodblock print
Before the Mirror (Kagami no mae)
Woodblock print
July, After a Bath
Woodblock print
Catching fireflies — Hotaru-gari
Woodblock print
Hara Shobō
1920
Woodblock print
Woman Drying Her Hair
髪を乾かす女
1920
Color woodblock print
'Modern Edo Purple'
1862
Sapporo Beer Poster
Woodblock print
Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
Woodblock print
Untitled (fujiki-kikumaro)
Woodblock print
July, after the bath — Shichigatsu Yuagari
Woodblock print
Two Women
Woodblock print
Charcoal Foot Warmer
January 1923
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Woman Dressing in Long Undergarment
1920 (Taisho 9), 5th month
Modern Japanese woodblock print; ink, color and mica on paper
Snowflake
雪
1923
Color woodblock print
Delighted (Ureshiso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
Before the Mirror
January 1932
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (fujiki-kikumaro)
Woodblock print
Kamoshita, Choko
Woodblock print
Ohayo Gozaimas Lady
1983
Color woodblock print
Black Neckband
Spring 1928
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Bonbon Clock
Woodblock print
Charcoal Footwarmer
Woodblock print
Woman Clipping Her Toe Nails
1920
Woodblock print
Woman standing before a mirror
1915
Woodblock print
Untitled (fujiki-kikumaro)
Woodblock print
Suzuki Harunobu
Woodblock print
Woman and Lute
Woodblock print
No Series Lady In Heian Court Litho
Woodblock print
Hand Mirror
January 1931
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
No. 20 (1)
Woodblock print
Hand Mirror
1920
Woodblock print
Woman after the Bath (Yokugo no onna)
1920
Woodblock print
Woman Filling Basin at the Sink
1920 (Taishō 9), 7th month
Woodblock print; ink, color and mica on paper
Woman Looking at a Painting
絵を見る女
1918
Color woodblock print
Woman taking a catnap
description
Woodblock print
After a Bath (Yugaeri)
1933
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Fujiki Kikumaro
Woodblock print
Tayu B (4/40)
Woodblock print
Woman Sitting by a Brazier
February 1925
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Black Collar
1928
Color woodblock print
After bath- Yokugo — Yokugo
Woodblock print
Kotatsu
Woodblock print
Underrobe (Nagajuban)
5/1920
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.