Which ukiyo-e artist was a master of bijin-ga (beautiful women)?

The ukiyo-e artist best known as a master of bijin-ga, pictures of beautiful women, was Kitagawa Utamaro.

Utamaro rose to prominence in Edo during the 1790s, when he developed a distinctive style of female portraiture. His bijin ōkubi-e, or “large-headed pictures of beautiful women,” presented figures in close-up with elongated faces, slender bodies, and carefully differentiated expressions.

His subjects often came from the licensed pleasure districts, but his work also depicted women engaged in everyday activities and studies of nature. Utamaro’s designs are admired for their subtle line work, restrained color relationships, and ability to suggest individual personality within the conventions of idealized beauty.

The other choices are major ukiyo-e artists, but they are associated with different strengths: Hokusai with landscapes and varied subjects, Hiroshige with poetic landscape series, and Kuniyoshi with warrior imagery and comic invention. Utamaro did produce more than portraits, yet bijin-ga remains his defining contribution.