Catching Fireflies in the Evining Cool
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
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.
More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman as the Hero Taisō in Palanquin Holding a Pipe
c. 1830
Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets
Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
More Figures Prints
Frequently Asked Questions
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.