A close-up painting depicting the kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan IV (1831-1899) in the role of the legendary monk Kiichi Hogen, resting his hand on the mouthpiece of his tobacco pipe and dressed in a red kimono decorated with a dragon and phoenix. The actor's large white hair has been embossed to delineate each strand of hair. Similarly, a repetitive embossed pattern of interconnected swasticas has also been added to the figure's clothing. This embossing does not seem to have been pressed using a carved block but was likely etched onto the piece by hand using a stylus. The painting's strikingly vivid colours were only possible due to the new synthetic pigments, which began to enter Japan in the late 1860s.

Although the purpose of this work is currently unknown, this piece likely served as a preparatory drawing to visualise the finished state of a woodblock print. However, as no finished print matching this design has been found yet, it is possible that this was an experimental design.