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
Kotondo
Circa 1954
Woodblock print
Lipstick - 口紅
1932
Woodblock print
Eyes
1952
Color woodblock print
Drying the Hair
髪を乾かす
1930
Color woodblock print
Taira no Harutake, Tanbe no Jiju
Woodblock print
Untitled
Woodblock print
Kurahashi Zensuke Takeyuki
Woodblock print
Woman Powdering, Taishô period, dated 1918
Taishô period, 1912-1926
Woodblock print
Sit down (5)
Woodblock print
Lip Rouge
January 1932
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
In Front of Mirror
鏡の前
1930
Color woodblock print
Hair Ornament
髪飾り
1929
Color woodblock print
Morning Hair
朝の髪
c. 1930
Color woodblock print
Face
顔
1950
Color woodblock print
Saint Nichiren
1937
Woodblock print
Black Hair
黒髪
1930
Color woodblock print
Morning Hair (Asanegami)
1930
Color woodblock print
#18 Eda Genzo Hirotsuna
Woodblock print
Katsuta Shinemon Taketaka
Woodblock print
Rafu to joyu (Nudes and Actresses)
Woodblock print
Combing
October 1929
Woodblock print
Nape of the Neck
うなじ
1930
Color woodblock print
No. 6 - Lipstick - 口紅
1932 1980s)
Woodblock print
Rouge (Beni)
1929
Woodblock print
Hair, LE
Woodblock print
Yoshimura Ijūrō VI’s Memorable Stage Concerts
1941
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Eisen's Blue-Printed Pictures (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Eisen no Aizuri-e)
Woodblock print
Morning Hair - Asa Negami — 朝寝髪
1931
Woodblock print
Seated Woman
1936
Woodblock print
Short Hair (Tanpotsu)- Oban
Woodblock print
Hayano Wasuke Tsunenari
Woodblock print
Wake Up - 2 (B)
Woodblock print
Kimono Pattern
着物の柄
1930
Color woodblock print
Kandegawa no Yokichi
Woodblock print
Hiroko (Hiratsuka's oldest daughter)
1928
Woodcut print
Lafcadio Hearn in Japanese Costume
Woodblock print
Doctor in Harlem
1960
Woodblock print
Rouge
口紅
1929
Color woodblock print
Rouge- lipstick — Beni
1932
Woodblock print
Memorial Portraits of Iwai Hanshirō VI and Bandō Mitsugorō III
after 1836
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Ishikawa Sosuke Sadatomo
Woodblock print
Hayano Kampei Tsuneyo
Woodblock print
Nagasaki Kangayu-Saemon
Woodblock print
My Son
Woodblock print
My Family (II)
Woodblock print
Make-up
1930
Color woodblock print
Makeup
化粧
1929
Color woodblock print
Rouge- lipstick — くち紅
1932
Woodblock print
Unknown, Face and Shell
Woodblock print
Oribe Yasubei Taketsune
Woodblock print
Seichu gishi den
Woodblock print
No Title
1753–1806
color woodblock print
Madam Lillian
1925
Woodcut print
Father and daughter
Woodblock print
Maria
Woodblock print
Sekino, Junichiro
Woodblock print
Make-up (At the Mirror) — 化粧
1930
Woodblock print
The Artist's Son
1952
Color woodblock print
19 Generals
Woodblock print
Bungorô on Stage
1953
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.