Portraits Prints (619)
Portrait prints in the Japanese woodblock tradition encompass a wide range of approaches, from the actor portraits (yakusha-e) of the Edo period to the contemplative character studies of modern sosaku-hanga. Unlike Western portraiture's emphasis on individual likeness, Japanese print portraits often balance personal identity with typological representation, using costume, pose, and setting to convey social role alongside individual character. The yakusha-e genre, depicting kabuki actors in famous roles, was one of ukiyo-e's most commercially successful categories. Sharaku's dramatically expressive actor portraits of 1794-95, produced during a single ten-month period, remain among the most studied works in the print tradition. Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, and other nineteenth-century artists continued to develop the format, creating portraits that documented the star system of Edo-period theater. Modern portrait prints moved toward psychological depth and artistic individuality. Onchi Koshiro's portrait series of fellow artists pioneered abstract-inflected portraiture in the sosaku-hanga movement. Shin-hanga portraits, particularly Ito Shinsui's studies of women, achieved a synthesis of Western modeling techniques and Japanese aesthetic restraint. Contemporary print portraiture continues to explore the tension between representation and abstraction that has characterized the genre throughout its history.
Artists Known for Portraits
Hiratsuka Unichi
Woodblock print
Genroku Beaty
Woodblock print
Takeuchi Seiho (1864-1942)
Woodblock print
Uemura, Shoen
Woodblock print
Sasajima, Kihei
Woodblock print
Naoko
1966
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Blue and White
Woodblock print
Kataoka Gado
Woodblock print
Tokuoka Shinsen (1896-1972)
Woodblock print
Picture of a Man drawn in Red
Woodblock print
Chieko
1913
Woodblock print
Delighted (Ureshiso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
Faces, No. 3
Woodblock print
Face
1970
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Before the Mirror
Woodblock print
Chinese Lady
ca. 1912–1914
Woodblock print
Mitsuaki Sora (Sora, Mitsuaki)
Woodblock print
Chinese Woman, Hong Kong
1917
Color woodblock print
Man Drawn in Red
Woodblock print
Unknown, Woman Posing
Woodblock print
Kon Chüsuke
1904
Woodblock print
Woman of Brittany
1920
Woodblock print
Tobari Kogan
1921
Woodblock print
Woman
1957
Color woodblock print; edition 14/20
Tayu B (4/40)
Woodblock print
Portait of Mr. Tsuruzo Ishii
Woodblock print
Lady in Western Costume
Woodblock print
Ohta Masamitsu (Ota)
1954
Woodblock print
Hand Mirror
1920
Woodblock print
A Whisper
1954
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Mask Woman
Woodblock print
Faces (5people)
Woodblock print
Paul Binnie
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
Alone
1958
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Matsumoto Koshiro VII as Kenkei in Kanjincho
1954
Woodblock print
Maiden Blush
Woodblock print
Yoshinobu
Woodblock print
Woman Applying Makeup
1918 (Taishō 7)
Woodblock print; ink, color, gold, and mica on paper
Hanging Hair
髪梳き
1929
Color woodblock print
Kinoshita, Tomio (b. 1923)
Woodblock print
Two Clowns
1965
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Kataoka Nizaemon XI as Kumagai
十一代目片岡仁左衛門の熊谷
1926
Color woodblock print
Face (ours) yellow
Woodblock print
Asano Takeji
Woodblock print
Black Collar
1928
Color woodblock print
Hair (Kami), Shôwa period, dated 1953
Woodblock print
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI as Kyudanme Kakogawa Honzo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Kataoka Nizaoemon XI)
Woodblock print
Woman Applying Makeup- Kesho no Onna — 化粧の女
1918
Woodblock print
Woman Applying Powder
化粧の女
1918
Color woodblock print
Woman Drying Her Hair
髪を乾かす女
1920
Color woodblock print
Ota Masamitsu
1955
Woodblock print
Collection of Shunsen Portraits: Sawamura Gennosuke IV as Nikki Danjo (Shunsen Nigao-e Shu: Sawamura Gennosuke IV)
Woodblock print
Applying Powder
Summer 1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Kitamura Rokuro as Otsuta in Fukeizu
Not set
Woodblock print
Hiratsuka Unichi
Woodblock print
Woman Powdering Her Neck
1918 (Taishō 7)
Woodblock print; ink, color, and mica on paper
Matsumoto Koshiro VIII as Matsuomaru
Not set
Woodblock print
Maru-mage
Woodblock print
Brothers (5) B
Woodblock print
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Portrait prints in the Japanese woodblock tradition encompass a wide range of approaches, from the actor portraits (yakusha-e) of the Edo period to the contemplative character studies of modern sosaku-hanga. Unlike Western portraiture's emphasis on individual likeness, Japanese print portraits often balance personal identity with typological representation, using costume, pose, and setting to convey social role alongside individual character.
Ogata Gekko, Jun'ichiro Sekino, and Paul Jacoulet are among the artists most associated with portraits in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 619 prints tagged with portraits, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.