White Moth (Shiroga)

White Moth (Shiroga) from 1959 with edition 2/30 is among Hagiwara's most intimate early works — the pale nocturnal insect, its wings spread or folded, rendered against the dark night in which it flew. The moth's combination of beauty, fragility, and attraction to light gave the subject a melancholic resonance that suited the artist's lyrical sensibility. The very small edition (2/30) indicates this was either an experimental print or one made in limited quantities for specific collectors rather than general distribution.