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
Scene from Act 11
c.1935
Woodblock print
Various artists
Woodblock print
Modern Musume
Woodblock print
Kagamiyama Woman — 鏡山のはつ女
Woodblock print
KISSHOTEN A
Woodblock print
Chinese Woman, Hong Kong
1917
Color woodblock print
Puppet Master
Woodblock print
Kataoka Gado as Miyuki in 'Shoutsushi asagao nikki'
Woodblock print
Shyness — はじらい
Woodblock print
Returning From Practice — 稽古がえり
Woodblock print
Sado kinzan oku ana no zu 佐渡金山奥穴の図 / Shokoku Meisho Hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
Kon Chüsuke
1904
Woodblock print
Kagamijishi — 鏡獅子
Woodblock print
Hiratsuka Unichi
Woodblock print
Quaker Meeting, Shôwa period, dated 1967
Woodblock print
A Low Tide Pentaptych
c. 1830
Pentaptych of color woodblock prints
Yoso-oi (Dressing)
Woodblock print
An00592340 001 L
Woodblock print
Mochi Mushiro — 餅むしろ
1908
Woodblock print
Volume 2 - Kaburagi Kiyokata
1977
Woodblock print
Yoshiji よしぢ
Woodblock print
Sasajima, Kihei
Woodblock print
Heroine Umekawa in MEIDO NO HIYAKU
Woodblock print
Shibaraku
Woodblock print
Viewing votive paintings
c. 1800
Color woodblock print; nagaban, surimono
March
Woodblock print
Family S 69-10
Woodblock print
Gathering
September 1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Prayer
Woodblock print
First Make-Up of the New Year (Hatsugesho)
Woodblock print
A man burns limes
Woodblock print
Nakao, Yoshitaka
Woodblock print
Untitled (terashima-shimei)
Woodblock print
Woman Standing in Kimono on Rokka
Early 20th century, or 1940s printing of earlier design
Woodblock print; sumizuri-e
Endo Musha Morito
Woodblock print
Yurimoto, Keiko
Woodblock print
Red Collar
1928
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Carmen
1934
Woodblock printed book
Little Arbiter (Chiisana chusaisha)
1956
Color woodblock print
Chat
September 1968
Woodblock print, color on paper
Youth
Woodblock print
First Love 14
Woodblock print
Shanghai
1920s
Color woodblock print
Elizabeth Keith
Woodblock print
Waiting for the fight
Woodblock print
After A Bath (1)
Woodblock print
Acrobat
1916
Woodblock print
Afternoon
Woodblock print
Chieko
1913
Woodblock print
Umbrella
1935
Woodblock print
Page from Hagoromo (Feathered Robe), Shôwa period, circa 1984-1986
Woodblock print
Fujimusume
Woodblock print
Japanese Art Open Database
Woodblock print
Woman of Brittany
1920
Woodblock print
2nd Floor of the Kadoebiya Green house in the Shin-Yoshiwara
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Tattoo
1935
Woodblock print
The Heroine Osen after a Bath 40/200
c. 1938
Woodblock print
Blindfold Game
Woodblock print
Takeuchi Seiho (1864-1942)
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.