Shinsui's extensive oeuvre spans bijin-ga, landscapes, and genre subjects. Auction averages over 12 months reflect healthy collector demand across all subject types.
A woman crouches or stands in the summer evening, her attention caught by fireflies (hotaru) drifting through the warm darkness, the hunt for these bioluminescent insects being a beloved summer pastime in Japan. The Japanese title "Hotaru-gari" (firefly hunting) names the activity precisely, placing the print in the tradition of seasonal genre subjects—what the Japanese call kidai, seasonal topics—that organized both poetry and visual art. Shinsui renders the ephemeral summer scene with the quiet attention it deserves.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Catching fireflies — Hotaru-gari was created by Ito Shinsui (伊東深水).
Catching fireflies — Hotaru-gari was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Catching fireflies — Hotaru-gari depicts bijin-ga, night scenes, and animals.
