Yu Miyazaki is a Japanese-style painter who has fascinated many with her “bijin-ga” (“portraits of beautiful women”) with delicate lines and soft colors. She received the grand prize at the 9th Adachi Contemporary Ukiyo-e Award and created a woodcut print with contemporary carvers and printers in 2018. The work entitled “Full Bloom – Hanazakari” was sold out due to its popularity. Now, five years later, she worked with modern artisans once again to create her second woodcut print, “Rich Black Hair Flowing Through Her Comb” (to be released on July 17, 2023). We interviewed Miyazaki who visited the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints, a studio and publisher that produces and publishes new woodcut prints.

A tribute to shin-hanga artist Hashiguchi Goyo

――Has your view of ukiyo-e changed since you won the grand prize at the Adachi Contemporary Ukiyo-e Award and created woodcut prints with modern day carvers and printers?

Yes, it has changed quite a bit. I started paying more attention to the techniques used in the works. For example, I was impressed by the depictions of sheer fabrics and mosquito nets in Utamaro’s works such as “Women Overnight Guests” and “Couple with a Standing Screen.” I think it's because they are woodcut prints that it's possible to boldly place such detailed patterns and thin lines on top of depictions of people, yet still make it look flat.

Such forms of expression require highly skilled carvers and printers. I think these techniques were born from the collaboration of the artist, carver, and printer, who inspired one another to reach higher.

What prompted me to apply for the Ukiyo-e Award was my interest in seeing how well the beauty of kimono designs and dyeing could be reproduced in woodcut prints. When I try to paint the designs on a kimono with my brush, I felt that the unevenness and the thickness of the paint came out, taking me further away from the texture of the kimono. In fact, when I saw the first work “Full Bloom – Hanazakari” as a woodcut print, I was surprised by how well it turned out.

――Did the experience change your Japanese-style paintings in any way?

I incorporated the technique of masking* in a manner similar to the process of “paste application” (“nori-oki”) used in the dyeing of kimono. Although this is a very labor-intensive method, it expanded the range of expressions I could use to depict kimono. I don’t think I would have arrived at this method so quickly if I hadn’t experienced the beauty of woodcut prints.
*Method of covering the parts that should not be dyed with peelable material or paper before applying the color.

But I am still far from matching the beautiful gradation of colors seen in woodcut prints. The challenge for the future is achieving in my paintings the gradation that blends naturally with the ground color, created by the pigments being rubbed into the fibers of washi paper.

――I hear that this new work is a tribute to Goyo Hashiguchi, who was known as the “Utamaro of the Taisho era.” Goyo created wonderful bijin-ga together with the Taisho era carvers and printers who had inherited the production techniques of ukiyo-e. What is it about Goyo's work that appeals to you?

What fascinates me the most about Goyo Hashiguchi's work is the depiction of women's hair. Seeing the three-dimensional movement of hair, such as the flow of hair from the hairline and how it wraps around from the front to the back, I think he stands out among his contemporaries. In particular, the expression of hair in “Woman Combing Her Hair” is truly exceptional. When I first saw it, I was shocked to see that it was a woodcut print.

It's very difficult to express the natural flow of hair in a painting, and it's always a big challenge for me in my own work. Before arriving at the delicate black hair made up of long thin lines in “Woman Combing Her Hair,” Goyo probably studied the works of his predecessors and made sketches over and over again. There is great attention to detail, but at the same time, the overall composition is exquisite.

Hashiguchi Goyo devoted himself to researching ukiyo-e by artists such as Utamaro and also worked on ukiyo-e reproductions, making the techniques his own and further deepening them. Perhaps because of his serious and stoic personality, Goyo's portraits of women feel more elegant than sensual. I sense that he has a kind of respect for feminine beauty.

By receiving the Adachi Contemporary Ukiyo-e Award, I learned that many people are involved and it takes time and financial costs for a single woodcut print to be released into the world. When I look at “Woman Combing Her Hair,” I can see that Goyo Hashiguchi and the people involved in the production at the time put all of their skills into it, without any thought of profit, in an attempt to convey to future generations the great possibilities of woodcut prints.

The changing seasons of bijin-ga -- Traditions and seasons of Yamaguchi

――Many of your bijin-ga portray women dressed in kimono. Also, I think many of your works convey a sense of the changing seasons. Is there a reason why you became interested in classical things and started portraying women in Japanese clothing?

I was born and raised in downtown Osaka as a second-generation Korean living in Japan, and I have always been familiar with Korean traditional performing arts. When I was single, I used to play traditional instruments as well. Many of my friends have Korean roots, but the one who was the most enthusiastic about teaching me how to play the instruments was Japanese. That person truly loved Korean traditional performing arts and would go anywhere to teach when asked.

Through those activities, I saw how strongly culture transcends race and nationality. I think that's how I gained a positive sense of tradition and culture. After that, I moved to Yamaguchi Prefecture and away from performing, but Yamaguchi has such beautiful nature that I started drawing a lot of pictures of seasonal flowers and plants.

My interest in kimono really started when I went to a local festival in Yamaguchi. All the girls wore yukata (light cotton summer kimono), and they were a bit different from the colorful and flashy yukata worn by girls in Osaka. They were simple indigo-dyed yukata, and little girls had obi knots that looked like their mothers must have tied them.

Every girl looked natural in her yukata. I could see that people had enjoyed festivals wearing yukata over many years, and I thought it was very beautiful. I wanted to paint this scene.

From that time, I started researching Japanese kimono, and learned that patterns and designs are closely tied to the seasons. When I look around the world, I think it's rare that traditional clothing incorporates features of the seasons so much. In a land with four distinct seasons, Japanese kimono have been nurtured over many years, and I think we can say it's a symbol of Japanese culture. When I paint women in kimono, I naturally start painting things that have a seasonal feel to them to match the kimono.

Of course, there are detailed rules and etiquette about the seasonality. As a basic rule, the pattern of a kimono anticipates the season, so wearing a kimono with a cherry blossom pattern when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom is considered unfashionable. But in recent years, the styling of kimono has become a lot freer, and I would like to incorporate that kind of modern sensibility into my work as well.

――I see that moving to Yamaguchi laid the foundation for your current style. The woman in your latest work is also wearing a yukata with a beautiful indigo dyed pattern.

That's right. The theme of my new work is definitely “summer.” For my previous work “Full Bloom – Hanazakari,” it was “spring.” I'd be very happy as an artist if I could create woodcut prints for autumn and winter next and create a series of the four seasons.

Respect for the handiwork of craftsmen

――I hope that idea of a four-part series becomes a reality. I heard that the model for your previous work “Full Bloom – Hanazakari” and your new work “Rich Black Hair Flowing Through Her Comb” is the same person. Do you have the model actually wear the kimono?

Yes. When painting a woman in kimono, I ask a professional to put the kimono on the model. Then I take photos, and decide on the composition based on the reference photos. And when I actually paint, I always have the actual kimono nearby and use it as reference.

That's because when I touch something created by hand, I feel like I am tracing the steps of the craftsmen. By feeling and absorbing the beauty and appeal of the kimono, I hope to incorporate the power that resides in the kimono itself into my work.

――When you met with the craftsmen at Adachi Woodcut Prints, you brought scraps of yukata from Chikusen, a long-established kimono store in Nihonbashi, so that they could use them as reference. The woman's kimono in the previous work “Full Bloom – Hanazakari” was also made by Chikusen. Why do you like the kimono from Chikusen?

After I decided that I wanted to draw women in kimono, I realized that I needed to learn more about kimono, at least enough to be able to put a kimono on myself. When I decided to buy one and looked at images of kimono from various shops on the Internet, I was naturally drawn to patterns depicting seasonal flowers. But when I looked closely, I saw a surprising number of strange patterns, such as plum blossoms with camellia leaves and cherry blossoms with thin leaves.

In the process, I came across yukata from Chikusen. All of the flowers depicted were natural, but every detail was beautifully designed, down to the veins on the leaves. It was love at first sight. I wanted every pattern I saw and couldn't choose, so in the end I took the plunge and ordered two pieces and had them tailored. I wanted to express through my paintings the beauty of Chikusen’s kimono, which are handmade one by one by craftsmen. I think that was the driving force behind my various works up to now.

This is a bit abstract, but when I'm painting, sometimes the painting speaks to me. The painting says whatever it wants and makes unreasonable demands. But the more I respond to those requests, the more complete the painting will become, and the more I am satisfied with the final painting. When I experience the handiwork of craftsmen, such as kimono and woodcut prints, the requests from the painting become even more demanding. Still, I want to see the scenery that will appear beyond that, so I end up doing the best I can.

Aspiring to spread “Bijin-ga” to the world

――After receiving the Adachi Contemporary Ukiyo-e Award, your activities have been expanding in various directions, such as producing the artwork used in the NHK drama “An Artist of the Floating World” (based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro) and appearing on NHK's television program “Sunday Art Museum: The Essence of Bijin-ga: Utamaro’s Techniques of Nishiki-e” (April 2021). Last year, you published the art collection book “Tsumugare yuku en” (“Spun Relationships”). Can you tell us about some of your recent challenges?

I produced the artwork in the upcoming film “Rohan au Louvre.” The story is about the main character, Rohan Kishibe, who goes in search of “the blackest painting in the world” hidden in the Louvre Museum. I painted “the blackest painting in the world,” which is said to have been painted in Japan 250 years ago. I also taught Japanese-style painting to actors on set. I was a fan of the original manga, so I was very happy when I was offered the job.

――So your painting is a key item in the story. I'd love to go see your “blackest painting in the world'' on a movie theater screen. I'm also looking forward to the completion of your new woodcut print. Lastly, please tell us about your aspirations and goals for future activities.

I would like to continue learning about Japanese culture and incorporating it into my own works. I would be very happy if my works could be enjoyed by people around the world, not just in Japan. We live in an age where it’s easy to communicate to the world through social media, so I hope that by actively utilizing such tools, one day, “bijin-ga” will become as widely recognized as ukiyo-e as a part of Japanese culture.

Interview and editing: “Hokusai Past and Present” Editorial Department