Woodblock Print by Utagawa Yoshitora: Wind God, Thunder God & Firefly, Framed

He flicks something away with two fingers while thunder seems to roll across his robe.

Wind God, Thunder God & Firefly is a framed woodblock print by Utagawa Yoshitora (active 1850-1880), from Japan, dated 1862. It is ink on paper. Fujin and Raijin, the wind and thunder gods, are among the most familiar figures in Japanese art, and printmakers often worked them into the costumes of actors. Here a stern-faced man raises one hand to his chin, his robe filled with swirling figures and clouds in blue and gray. Fireflies glow in the dark sky behind him, among tall blossoms. A red cartouche sits at left, and a silver frame surrounds the cream mat. It is 21 inches wide, 1.75 deep and 26 high.

A summer night, with weather in every fold.