The courtesan's outer kimono, possibly commissioned by a wealthy patron, epitomised the height of elegance and sophistication in late-Edo Japan. The dragon, a symbol of power and wisdom, would have been painted in sumi ink by a Kano school artist, the most respected hereditary painting school at the time. This would have made the garment an expensive indulgence and a spectacle during the Oiran Dōchū.

Harumasa was associated with the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists.