Kitagawa Utamaro: A Master of Bijin-ga Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿) stands as one of the most celebrated designers of woodblock prints and paintings from the Edo period, leaving an enduring legacy on both Japanese art and Western Impressionism. He is revered for his exquisite *bijin ōkubi-e* portraits – “large-headed pictures of beautiful women” – which captured the essence of feminine beauty with unparalleled grace and detail. His work p…