Kiyokata Kaburaki died exactly half a century ago, in 1972. But it was in 1901 that he helped found the Ugokai, an art group intent on reviving the genre of bijinga—paintings and woodblocks of beautiful woman. Born in Tokyo in 1878, Kaburaki started out as an illustrator for newspapers and novels, and had little to no experience of the fine arts. By 1907, he was winning prizes for his innovative approach. This major retrospective, Kaburaki’s first in Kyoto in 45 years, presents 109 of his Nihonga (Japanese-style) paintings. —Elena Clavarino