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
Title Sheet for the series Eimei nijūhachi-shūku
Meiji period, 1867
Unmatted ukiyo-e woodblock print in ōban format; ink and colors on paper
Kyōsai Drunken Pictures (Vol. 1)
1882
Woodblock printed book, ink on paper
print / drawing
Woodblock print
Tokyo Metro Library
Woodblock print
Complete set of the series
Woodblock print
Kanmu Era, from
Woodblock print
Nobleman Boating
Woodblock print
Qing Chinese Snipers Aiming at Japanese Commander
Woodblock print
Sarugaku-Kyögen Play (descriptive title)
Woodblock print
Tominomori Sukeemon Masanori 富森助右衛門正因 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図
Woodblock print
A Man With A Coffee Cup
Woodblock print
Farm Woman
Woodblock print
Man devoted to Mountains — 山にころ男
Woodblock print
Longing for Home (Bokyo)
1959
Color woodblock print; edition 3/50
Fuwa Kazuemon Masatane 不破数右衛門正種 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図
Woodblock print
Hazama Shinrokuro Mitsukaze 間新六郎光風 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図
Woodblock print
Infantrist Fujino Kunimatsu …
March 1895
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Incense ceremony
Woodblock print
Woman of the Yoshiwara
1753–1806
color woodblock print
Asahina Saburō Yoshihide
1872–73
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Kyoto riverbanks
Woodblock print
Eighth Act
1860, 5th lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Imoto Tekiho
Woodblock print
Konjin Chōgorō
1866
Osame, a Concubine of the Lord of Sendai Fief, Learning Courtesanship
1886
Woodblock print
Second Act
1860, 4th lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Picture of Mongaku’s Penitence
April 1885
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Yamauba and Kaidomaru
February 1873
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
The Austerities of Saint Mongaku
1885
Color woodblock print
Collection of Humorous Leftovers (Kokkei zansai bukuro 滑稽残菜嚢), vol.
mid February 1882
Woodblock printed book, ink and color on paper
Bouto Kawajiri honjin no zu 暴徒川尻本陣図
Woodblock print
Ikeda Shuzo
Woodblock print
print / kakemono-e
Woodblock print
Harvard Art Museum
Woodblock print
Warriors Oishi Sezaemon Nobukiyo and Terasaka Kichiemon Nobuyuki from the series Kenroku Yamato Kagami [Chūshingura]
1884 (Meiji 17)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e): ink and color on paper
Emperor Meiji Leaving for Northern Japan
Woodblock print
Heian Era, from
Woodblock print
Ogata Gekko
Woodblock print
Whispering
1958
Color woodblock print; edition 1/70
Grief of Mountaineer
1957
Before Mountaineering
1954
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Black Hair
Woodblock print
Hunter and Rifle
Woodblock print
Man Warming Hands by Stove (Sutôbu no mae)
Woodblock print
Resting Man
1963
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Shungo Sekiguchi
Woodblock print
Volcano Path
1952
Color woodblock print; edition 14/50
Eizô and Matsuomaru
1953
Woodblock print
First Lieutenant Mitani
January 1895
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Naval Commander Hirose Takeo
April 1904
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Jealousy
1952
Color woodblock print; edition 128/300
Party, Shôwa period, dated 1963
Woodblock print
(Kwannon Goddess)
1930-1974
Woodblock print
After the Bath (Tokyo) / Nihon jozoku sen (Woman's Customs in Japan)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Climber in the Woods
Woodblock print
Before Moutaineering (B)
1954
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Mount Ishizuchi, Shôwa period, dated 1940
Woodblock print
Unknown- Man and Cloud
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
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.