Figures Prints (1669)
Figure compositions are among the most diverse subjects in Japanese printmaking, encompassing everything from intimate domestic scenes to grand historical narratives. The tradition spans the full history of ukiyo-e, from Moronobu's pioneering single-sheet prints of the 1670s to contemporary figure studies that blend traditional techniques with modern sensibilities. In the ukiyo-e era, figure prints often depicted courtesans, actors, and townspeople of Edo's pleasure quarters, capturing the fashions, gestures, and social dynamics of urban life. The shin-hanga movement brought a more contemplative approach, with artists like Ito Shinsui creating elegant figure studies that emphasized mood and atmosphere over narrative action. Sosaku-hanga artists pursued more experimental figure work, from Onchi Koshiro's abstract portraits to Sekino Jun'ichiro's bold character studies. Figure prints in the Japanese tradition are notable for their attention to textile patterns, body language, and the suggestion of inner life through subtle compositional choices. Whether depicting a single standing figure or a complex multi-figure narrative, these works reveal the printmaker's skill in translating human presence into the woodblock medium.
Artists Known for Figures
Kasumigaseki
c. 1830–35
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
(Michiyuki) nekoyanagi sakari no tsukikage
Woodblock print
#16 Sekiya
Woodblock print
Inuka Kempachi Nobumichi Directing the Attempted Arrest of Inuzuka Shino Moritaka
Woodblock print
Oharame — 大原女
Woodblock print
Print 1
Woodblock print
No. 12 - Combing In The Bath - 裸婦髪梳き
1929
Woodblock print
Tipsy — ほろ酔
1932
Woodblock print
Utatane- A nap- V1 — うたっ寝
1933
Woodblock print
Woman Kneeling before a Mirror Stand
1920
Woodblock print
Bath House
Woodblock print
19 Generals
Woodblock print
Untitled (sumio-kawakami)
Woodblock print
Katsuta Shinemon Taketaka
Woodblock print
Hero: ??
Woodblock print
Nagasaki Kangayu-Saemon
Woodblock print
Untitled (suga-tatehiko)
Woodblock print
Hyakkaen
Woodblock print
The Puppet Manipulator Bungoro in the Greenroom
Woodblock print
Lafcadio Hearn in Japanese Costume
Woodblock print
Girls on the Shore, Fukuura- Fukuura Hama no Musume
Woodblock print
Make-up
1930
Color woodblock print
Pierrot and His Son
Woodblock print
Rouge
口紅
1929
Color woodblock print
Rouge- lipstick — Beni
1932
Woodblock print
Sash(black kimino version)
November 1929
Woodblock print
Gentle Breeze- oban
Woodblock print
TotalCount
1958
Woodblock print
Sanjō no Kokaji Munechika
Mid-1830s
#17 Ye-awase
Woodblock print
Kandegawa no Yokichi
Woodblock print
Woman of Ohara
1940s
Color woodblock print
Untitled (maekawa-senpan)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hisui-sugiura)
Woodblock print
The Artist's Son
1952
Color woodblock print
New Year (Japan)
Woodblock print
Char Fishing in the rocks
Woodblock print
The Swordsmith on Mount Inari
1887
Amaterasu, The Sun Goddess and Sister of Susan-o Before She Hid in Her Cave
Woodblock print
Asano Takumi no kami kerai Oishi Kuranosuke Yoshio 浅野内匠頭家来大石内蔵助良雄 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図
Woodblock print
Kataoka Gengoe Takafusa 片岡源五右衛高房 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図
Woodblock print
Mari Tahei hunting tigers
Woodblock print
Lord Yoshiie near the barrier of Nakoso no seki
Woodblock print
Sagami Jirō and Taira no Masakado, from the series Yoshitoshi's Incomparable Warriors (Yoshitoshi mushaburui)
Meiji period, datable to 1883
Ukiyo-e woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper
Chōan Killing His Younger Brother at Fuda-no-Tsuji
1886
Woodblock print (nishiki-e) diptych; ink and color on paper
Ikkai Sketches (Ikkai manga), vol. 1
1866
Monsters jumping out of a box scaring a man, draft for the print 'The Heavy Basket' (Omoi tsuzura)
around 1889
Preparatory drawing for a print, ink and color on paper
Mashiba, the Tairyō, Subjugates Korea
1862, 5th lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Shima Sakon Tomoyuki
1868, 8th lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Sakuma Dennai
1869, 3rd lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Kyosai rakuga
1881
Woodblock printed books, two volumes
Comic sketch, diptych
Woodblock print
Kyōsai gadan
1887
Woodblock printed book, ink on paper
Somekawa
1864, 7th lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Two Battling Warriors; Muramatsu in Foreground
Woodblock print
Album of Meiji Period Prints
19th century
Accordion-fold album of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Keian Era, from
Woodblock print
Red Coat
Woodblock print
Scene of Constitutional Law Proclamation Ceremony
Woodblock print
Navy Lieutenant Commander Uchida
April or August 1895
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Figure compositions are among the most diverse subjects in Japanese printmaking, encompassing everything from intimate domestic scenes to grand historical narratives. The tradition spans the full history of ukiyo-e, from Moronobu's pioneering single-sheet prints of the 1670s to contemporary figure studies that blend traditional techniques with modern sensibilities.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Ogata Gekko, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi are among the artists most associated with figures in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 1669 prints tagged with figures, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.