The above picture is titled “Before the Mirror” (1932). It is a woodblock print designed by the Japanese artist Hirano Hakuhô (平野白峰) who lived from 1879 to 1957 in Japan. This is one example of a “bijin-ga” (美人画) which means literally “picture of a beautiful woman”. It is a Japanese expression used for woodblock prints and traditional paintings for pictures showing beautiful women or reflecting the inner beauty of women. It became a generic term and many famous woodblock artists painted or designed “bijin-ga”. They typically reflect the historical Japanese beauty concept of women.
Here we see the back-view of a Japanese woman. She is sitting on a tatami floor on her knees in a typical Japanese sitting posture and slightly leaning on her right hand in front of a wooden mirror chest. In her left hand she is holding a handkerchief in front of her face. It is not clear what she is doing exactly because you cannot see her face. Neither can you see her facial expression in the mirror. You have to guess if she is covering her face because she is either shy or sad, possibly she is wiping off her makeup.
She wears a light red kimono with a white pattern, in a typical Japanese design. Her collar is green and this gives contrast with the main color of her garment. She wears an obi with a brown-black pattern. Her hair is a traditional Japanese coiffure with ornamental hairpins like on a geisha or maiko. You can see her bare white neck. She is also barefoot: she wears no socks or shoes.
From her body posture, although turned away from the viewer, and the light color of the kimono you can assume she is a young woman. She is depicted gracefully and stylishly. The picture is overall an expression of shyness and beauty.
Editor’s Note: This post was first published on Japan Kaleidoskop, a blog about Japanese literature and art. It was originally published on March 5, 2013, and was rewritten and updated on April 25, 2023.
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