Bijin-ga

Three Beauties of the Present Day by Utamaro, 1793

Artist	Kitagawa Utamaro
Year	1798

Bijin-ga (美人画, bijin-ga, lit. "beautiful person picture") is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography. Ukiyo-e is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that was produced in Japan from the 17th century to the 19th century. These woodblock prints depicted beautiful women; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flowers and animals and erotica. These prints were very popular amongst the Japanese merchands and the middle class of the time. Nearly all ukiyo-e artists produced bijin-ga, it being one of the central themes of the genre. However, a few, including Utamaro, Suzuki Harunobu, Itō Shinsui, Toyohara Chikanobu, Uemura Shōen and Torii Kiyonaga, are widely regarded as the greatest innovators and masters of the form.

• Bijin-ga
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  Bijin-ga by Keisai Eisen (1790 – 1848)

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  Woman Visiting the Shrine in the Night by Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770)

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  Shin Bijin, Shin Bijin series, No. 12 by Yōshū Chikanobu (1838–1912)

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  100 Aspects of the Moon by Yoshitoshi (1839–1892)

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  Two Women Standing from series "Tosai Yuri Bijin Awase", by Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815)

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  Woman with cherry flowers by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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  A Girl About to Despatch a Letter, by Torii Kiyomine (1786-1868)

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  The Courtesan Someyama of the Matsubaya house, from the series: Contest of Beauties in the Gay Quarters, by Eishosai Choki - active from about 1786 to 1808.

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  Woman with her hair let down, by Murasaki Shikibu (978 – 1025)

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  Woman in the night, by Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1760-1770

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  Bathhouse women, by Torii Kiyonaga (1752 – 1815)

See also

• Bijin
• Bihaku

Further reading

• Forbes, Andrew ; Henley, David (2012). Suzuki Harunobu: 100 Beauties. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B00AC2NB8Y
• Hamanaka, Shinji. Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties. Hotei Publishing 2000. ISBN 90-74822-20-7

External links

• Bijinga artworks

Ukiyo-e Bokashi List of ukiyo-e terms Woodblock printing in Japan Genres Aizuri-e Aka-e Benizuri-e Bijin-ga Jōge-e Kappazuri Nikuhitsuga Nishiki-e Ōkubi-e Shini-e Shunga Uchiwa-e Uki-e Urushi-e Yakusha-e Yokohama-e Schools Kaigetsudō school Katsukawa school Torii school Utagawa school List of Utagawa school members Related traditions E-hon Shin-hanga Sōsaku-hanga