Bijin


Bijin is a Japanese term which literally means "a beautiful person" and is synonymous with bijyo. Girls are usually called bishōjo, while men are bidanshi and boys are bishōnen. The term originally derives from Chinese word 美人, the word 美人 is used widely in several Asian countries including China, South Korea, North Korea, and Vietnam.

Meaning

In practice the term bijin means "beautiful woman" because the first kanji character, bi, has a feminine connotation. The character expressed the concept of beauty by first using the element for "sheep", which must have been viewed as beautiful, and was combined with the element for "big", ultimately forming a new kanji. Bijin can also be translated as "a beauty"; in a modern and informal context it means "a doll". Its modern meaning was also said to have undergone an internationalization with the term for the Moon and the a lord or ruler on high. People who are called a bijin are usually considered beautiful, charming and harmonious women who wear pretty clothes.
In Mandarin Chinese, 美人 also means "a beautiful woman". Like Mandarin Chinese, in Korean language, 美人 means "a beautiful woman".

In Japanese art

Pictures of bijin in Japanese art are called bijin-ga. Bijin-ga is described as a genre of ukiyo-e paintings. Some of the greatest bijinga artists are Utamaro, Suzuki Harunobu and Torii Kiyonaga. Until the beginning of the 20th century, bijin-ga were very popular.

Famous bijin

, located on Honshu, in northern Japan, is famous for its "bijin of Akita" which are characterized by their round face, clear skin and high-pitched voice. Ono no Komachi, one of the Thirty-six Immortals of Poetry, was a beauty from Akita.
Fukuoka, the largest city of Kyushu island in southern Japan, is also known for a large population of bijins.
Some of Utamaro's favourite models have remained famous as bijin; for example Naniwaya Okita, a courtesan Hanaōgi, Tomimoto Toyohina and Takashima Ohisa.