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
Hopping on one leg
1897
Woodblock print
June — 其六 菖蒲
1898
Woodblock print
Miyagawa-shuntei
1897
Woodblock print
Jacoulet Paul Chamorro Woman Rainbow Series Red
Woodblock print
A plate from
Woodblock print
Clown No. 8
1969
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Phaethon, from the portfolio Greek Mythology
1965
Woodblock print; ink on paper
Emperor Meiji Inspecting the Imperial Troops
Woodblock print
Arab in Bagdad
Woodblock print
Kaze no Kanata- The other side of the wind — 風のかなた
Woodblock print
Fragrant Breeze - 風のかほり
Woodblock print
Fleeting — うたかた
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Man in a Flurry, from an album of six woodblock prints
1958
Color woodblock print
Words of the Wind — 風ことば
Woodblock print
Dozing in Tearing
1906
Woodblock print
Dressing Her Daughter — 娘の仕度
1897
Woodblock print
I Ka Leo O Ke Kai Diptych (15/58)
Woodblock print
Woman Teaching Embroidery (descriptive title)
1897
Woodblock print
Katsuda Kunihisa
Woodblock print
Cartoons by Kyôsai (Kyôsai manga)
Woodblock print
Hair Combing (Kamisuki)
Woodblock print
Glowing Clouds - あかね雲
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Wind Thoughts — 風の想い
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Katsukawa Shun'ei
Woodblock print
Fishing — Uo-tsuri
1897
Woodblock print
Change to wear zori - strawsandals — Zori Haki-Kae
1897
Woodblock print
Hagoita- Badminte- Shuttlecock — やり羽子
Not set
Woodblock print
Mosquito — 蚊やり
1897
Woodblock print
Victorian Invention, The Locomotive (23/30)
Woodblock print
Untitled (oda-mayumi)
Woodblock print
Woman Calendar (1/10)
Woodblock print
Untitled (uemura-shoen)
Woodblock print
Elegant Pleasures: The Scent of Flowers, left (Furyu hana no ka asobi, ge)
c. 1783
Color woodblock print; left sheet of oban diptych
Harunobu's Bathtub
Woodblock print
Bang Bang (Ban Ban)
Woodblock print
Kaze no Kahori — 風のかほり
Woodblock print
Minami Kunzô
Woodblock print
Woman of Canaan, Shôwa period, dated 1962
Woodblock print
Shell gathering at low tide
1896
Woodblock print
General Lord Yoritomo watches a Nō performance (Udaishō Yoritomo kō on'nōjō ran no zu)
ca. 1865
Motomezuka
Woodblock print
Untitled
1878
After a Bath
Woodblock print
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Harunobu's Bathtub (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Harunobu no Furo)
Woodblock print
Blue Smoke (Seien)
Woodblock print
Fan
Woodblock print
Dream- LE
Woodblock print
Hirugao - ひるがお
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
After A Bath — 湯上がり
1898
Woodblock print
Going Out — おでかけ
Not set
Woodblock print
Lovable Girls — 撫子
Not set
Woodblock print
Make-Up — 化粧
Not set
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.