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
Dive (20/XXX)
Woodblock print
Open Secret (35/50)
Woodblock print
Wind Goddess (Gold) (38/50)
Woodblock print
Storyville III (21/50)
Woodblock print
Boatmen at sunset at Miyajima
Woodblock print
Yūzen Process
1969
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (takehisa-yumeji)
Woodblock print
Tamomo no Mae, with Poem by Fumiya Asayasu, from the series "Ogura Versions of the One Hundred Poets (Ogura nazorae Hyakunin isshu)"
c. 1845/48
Color woodblock print; oban
Circus (Kyokuba)
Woodblock print
Glaukos
1965
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
An Anko of Ooshima — 大島のアンコ
Woodblock print
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru)
Woodblock print
Dawn (Ake)
Woodblock print
Cloud Patterns - 風もよう
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
January — 其一 追羽子
1898
Woodblock print
Sculpturing (1)
9
Woodblock print
Breath II (AP)
Woodblock print
Kitagawa Utamaro
Woodblock print
Untitled (terashima-shimei)
Woodblock print
Untitled (terashima-shimei)
Woodblock print
Onakatomi no Yoshinobu Ason, from the series "One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu no uchi)"
c. 1842
Color woodblock print; oban
Artemis (Arutemisu)
1966 (?)
Woodblock print; edition 12/50
48, Tanaka Tsurukichi
February 1889
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Yoshitoshi's Ghosts (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Yoshitoshi no Bakemono)
Woodblock print
Swaying — ゆらめき
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Dobutsuen- Zoo
Not set
Woodblock print
A Grudge Against Each Other
1904
Woodblock print
Go- Japanese Game — 囲碁
Not set
Woodblock print
Hairdressing — 髪結
Not set
Woodblock print
Kodomo fuzoku
1897
Woodblock print
Temari - Handball
Not set
Woodblock print
Taru Mikoshi
1897
Woodblock print
Chase (21/30)
Woodblock print
Change to the Taisho Era (1912)
Woodblock print
Storyville IV (14/50)
Woodblock print
Ogata Gekko
Woodblock print
Behind the Curtain (1)
Woodblock print
Untitled (terashima-shimei)
Woodblock print
Bushu Yokohama Gankiro 武州横浜岩亀楼 / Shokoku meisho hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
Kinugawa Yoemon, with Poem by Harumichi no Tsuraki, from the series "Ogura Versions of the One Hundred Poets (Ogura nazorae Hyakunin isshu)"
c. 1845/48
Color woodblock print; oban
![[Western Games] by Inoue Yasuji](https://data.ukiyo-e.org/famsf/images/3306201405530023.jpg)
[Western Games]
Woodblock print
Illustrations for Genji Monogatari (54)
Woodblock print
Dream Pattern — 夢もよう
Woodblock print
Dream Patterns - 夢もよう
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kiyoshi-nakajima)
Woodblock print
Embroidery — 縫い取り
Not set
Woodblock print
Aunt over there — Muko no Obasan
1896
Woodblock print
Print 1
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.