The custom of catching fireflies on summer evenings — hotaru-gari — was a beloved seasonal pastime in Edo, associated with the "evening cool" that offered relief from summer heat. Kuniyoshi captures figures in a riverside setting pursuing the soft lights of fireflies flickering above the water, a subject inviting delicate nocturnal color work in blues and soft greens. The print contributes to his range as an artist willing to move from thunderous battle scenes to intimate seasonal genre subjects.
Catching Fireflies in the Evining Cool was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Catching Fireflies in the Evining Cool depicts figures, rivers & lakes, and night scenes.
