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
Korin, Shôwa period,
Shôwa period, 1926-1989
Woodblock print
Japan 1947: Caricature Number One
1947
Color woodblock print
![Sekino Junichiro (1914-1988) [Sekino Jun-ichiro] by Onchi Koshiro](https://data.ukiyo-e.org/jaodb/images/Sekino_Junichiro-No_Series-Flowers_and_New_York-00032633-021002-F06.jpg)
Sekino Junichiro (1914-1988) [Sekino Jun-ichiro]
Woodblock print
Soseki Komori (Shoseki)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Uta Sugata — うた姿
Woodblock print
The Man Who Climbs Mountains
1957
Color woodblock print; edition 20/50
Unknown
Woodblock print
Untitled (takashi-henmi)
Woodblock print
Crouching Woman
Woodblock print
Onchi Kōshirō
1952
Color woodblock print
Pique Dame
Woodblock print
The Heroic Fight of Cavalry Scout Captain Asakawa
1895 (Meiji 28)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e) triptych; ink and color on paper
Profile
1948
Color woodblock print
Venus
1947
Color woodblock print
Boshin
1937
Woodblock print
Prayer, Design B
1939
Woodblock print
Raijin (God of Thunder)
1937
Woodblock print
Allegory No. 1: Famile
Woodblock print
Kumadori III
1966
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Fishing (1)
Woodblock print
Untitled (Fishing)
c.1950s
Color woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiyoshi-mamoru)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiyoshi-mamoru)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiyoshi-mamoru)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiyoshi-mamoru)
Woodblock print
The Observing Eye
1959
Color woodblock print; edition 4/20
Nakao Yoshitaka
Woodblock print
Manipulating Marionettes
1956
Color woodblock print
Puppet Show
1960
Woodblock print
Escape of Emperor Godaigo, from the series "The Unofficial History of Japan (Nihon gaishi no uchi)"
1885
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
Lieutenant-Colonel Tomioka, Commander of the Eleventh Infantry Regiment
February 1895
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Rapid Progress
February 1895
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Triptych: Minamoto Tameyoshi's son Tametomo (1139-1170), from the series Episodes from Unknown Japanese History (Nihon gaishi no uchi), Meiji period, dated 1884
Woodblock print
Carrying Water
1963?
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Haniwa Doll (B)
Woodblock print
Resting (Mexico)
Woodblock print
Head
1954
Woodblock print
Ragora, from the series Ten Great Disciples of Shaka (Shaka jûdai deshi)
1939
Woodblock print
Hair
1930
Color woodblock print
Impression of a Violinist (The woman violinist Negiko Suwa)
Woodblock print
Mannequin in the Studio
1936
Color woodblock print
Untitled (hirezaki-eiho)
Woodblock print
Nasanu Naka
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiyoshi-mamoru)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiyoshi-mamoru)
Woodblock print
Unknown - man eating
Woodblock print
Hospital or Barracks Scene
Woodblock print
Genteibon dangi
Woodblock print
A scene of Japan-Russo war, triptych, 1904
Woodblock print
Burden of Fengtianfu
December 1894
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Kawasaki Gekkai
Woodblock print
Sugawara Michizane in Exile
Feburary 1884
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Tenderness, Shôwa period, dated 1959
Woodblock print
Fu Sho nosaku
1957
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.