Portraits Prints (592)
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
Face, Shôwa period,
Woodblock print
Kwannon, LE
Woodblock print
Koharu
Woodblock print
Kazue Yamagishi
Not set
Woodblock print
Ikeda Shoen (1884-1917)
1924
Woodblock print
Ichimaru
1933
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Styles of Contemporary Make-up: no. 1, Tipsy (Kindaijisesho no uchi: ichi, Horoyoi)
1930
Woodblock print
Watanabe Ikuharu
1930
Woodblock print
Victor Van Gogh
Woodblock print
Kobori Tomoto
Woodblock print
Three Eyes
Woodblock print
Jeune Fille De Polowat. Est Carolines
1948
Woodblock print
Le Bossu. Otaru, Hokkaido
1952
Woodblock print
Pupil of the Eye 5/100
1931
Woodblock print
Princess Nukata
Woodblock print
L'Attente
1947
Woodblock print
L'Attente, Celebes Menado 221/250
1947
Woodblock print
Paul Jacoulet
1952
Woodblock print
#6 Rouge
1931
Woodblock print
Glossy dark hair
Not set
Woodblock print
Paul Jacoulet
Woodblock print
Chinese Lady in Red
Woodblock print
Persona #22
Digital print
Jihei
Woodblock print
Matsuda Reiko
1942
Woodblock print
Vielle Aino, Chikabumi, Hokkaido, Japon 53/350
1950
Woodblock print
Expression of Eyes
1931
Woodblock print
Chagrin d'Amour, Kusaie, Est Carolines
c. 1934–1960
Woodblock print
Les Jades. Chinoise (Jade Lady. Chinese)
1940
Woodblock print
TotalCount
1937
Woodblock print
Black Hair. Series: Kindai Jisei no sho no uchi go
1931
Woodblock print
Styles of Contemporary Make-up: no. 4, Pupil of the Eye (Kindaijisesho no uchi: Hitomi)
1931
Woodblock print
A frontispiece of a novel, 1901
Woodblock print
Black Hair
Woodblock print
Saint Mary
November 1924
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Fumées de Santal - Mandchoukuo
December 25, 1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Le Tresor - Coree
May 21, 1940
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
#5 Glossy dark hair
Not set
Woodblock print
Print 36 - Kashiwagi - 柏木
Woodblock print
Dutch Man
Woodblock print
Hasegawa Sadanobu (Japanese, active mid–19th century)
Woodblock print
Chapter 36 - Kashiwagi - 柏木
Woodblock print
Profile A
Woodblock print
Portrait of Sphinx: Etching 2
Woodblock print
The Ladies' Graphic vol. 4 no. 4
Woodblock print
Young Generation
Woodblock print
Combing Her Hair
Woodblock print
Ayame Yukata
Woodblock print
Beni (Rouge)
Woodblock print
Nap
Woodblock print
Combing the Hair, Kamisuki
Woodblock print
Combing The Hair
Woodblock print
Bando Tamasaburo V as Agemaki
Woodblock print
Onoe Kikugoro as Benten
Woodblock print
Nakamura Kichiemon II as Benkei in Kanjincho
Woodblock print
Ichikawa Danjuro XII as Umeomaru
Woodblock print
To the Morning Light (Ten Female Subjects)
Woodblock print
Red Juban
Woodblock print
The Day She Takes her Vows
Woodblock print
Les Jades
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 592 prints tagged with portraits, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.