Van Gogh’s bijinga
Van Gogh was presumably drawn to the depictions of the bijinga. These types of prints made up a large part of his collection. He may have also been attracted to the patterns on their kimonos, and the rich landscapes against which the women were depicted.
Fashion
The artists devoted a great deal of attention to the richly-decorated kimonos, accessories and ingenious hairstyles. The depicted women therefore became style icons in their own right, influencing the fashion of their time.
Utagawa Kunisada, Woman with Latern, right sheet of the triptych The Second Month, from the series Twelve Months of Genji in the Modern Style, 1859
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, The Courtesan Chodayū of the Okamotoya House, from the series Series of Beauties from the Green Houses, 1834