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
Banana Trader
Woodblock print
Untitled (fujiki-kikumaro)
Woodblock print
Ohayo Gozaimas Lady
1983
Color woodblock print
Asano Takeji
Woodblock print
Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
Woodblock print
Black Collar
1928
Color woodblock print
Yoshinobu
Woodblock print
Goblins
Before 1870
After Bath
1920 (posthumous edition)
Woodblock print
Woman Clipping Her Toe Nails
1920
Woodblock print
A Whisper
1954
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
November — 其十一 嫁入
1898
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Shumitsu Kanja Yoshitaka
1867
Faces, No. 3
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Masamitsu Ohta (1892?-1975) - see Ohta, Masamitsu
Not set
Woodblock print
Contemplating Cracking Hoping etc
Woodblock print
Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
Woodblock print
Untitled (fujiki-kikumaro)
Woodblock print
Saito Kaoru
Woodblock print
Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
Woodblock print
Scholten Japanese Art
Woodblock print
Poker Game
Illustration on paper
Suzuki Harunobu
Woodblock print
Breaking News - Ako Roshi Vendetta Accomplished
Woodblock print
Cooling Off
June 1925
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Döjöji
Woodblock print
Lip Rouge
October 1922
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Maru-mage
Woodblock print
Ichimura Uzaemon XV as Iriya Naozamurai
十五代目市村羽左衛門の入谷直侍
1925
Color woodblock print
Underrobe (Nagajuban)
5/1920
Woodblock print
Woman Dressing in Long Undergarment
1920 (Taisho 9), 5th month
Modern Japanese woodblock print; ink, color and mica on paper
Face (ours) yellow
Woodblock print
Sapporo Beer Poster
Woodblock print
Delighted (Ureshiso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
Portait of Mr. Tsuruzo Ishii
Woodblock print
Kosaka Gajin
Woodblock print
Magical Palm Reading and Mole Reading
Woodblock print
Yoshijiro Urushibara (Mokuchu)
Woodblock print
No Series Lady In Modern Dress In Taisho Era
Woodblock print
Tsukioka Kogyo
Woodblock print
Lady in Western Costume
Woodblock print
No Series Dream
Woodblock print
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI as Kyudanme Kakogawa Honzo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI)
Woodblock print
Hand Mirror
1920
Woodblock print
Woman Folding a Kimono
1953
Woodblock print, ink on paper
School for Spooks (Bakebake gakkō), No. 3 from the series Drawings for Pleasure by Kyōsai (Kyōsai rakuga, dai san gō)
1874 (Meiji 7)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Woman Looking at a Painting
絵を見る女
1918
Color woodblock print
'Modern Edo Purple'
1862
Mask Woman
Woodblock print
After the bath 68/100
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Before the Mirror
January 1932
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Asian Collection Internet Auction
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
The Home Coming
1905
Color woodcut on Japan paper, impression from yellow block
Hiratsuka Unichi
Woodblock print
Harmonica Player (Hamonika fuki)
20th century
Woodblock print
Maeda Masao
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.