[1] From early adolescence, he apprenticed with Utagawa Toyoharu,[2] studying the style of his mentor, as well as those of Chōbunsai Eishi, Utamaro and Eishōsai Chōki.

[6] His style is praised for its "powerful and vivid lines,"[7] "striking color contrasts,"[8] "decorative bombast,"[9] and "bold, taut designs.

[18] He founded the Nishimuraya Yohachi publishing house, also known as Nishiyo (西与),[19] which operated in Nihonbashi's Bakurochō Nichōme under the shop name Eijudō.

[20][21] According to Andreas Marks, Nishimuraya's "success came from engaging the best artists and providing a broad range of prints to satisfy the public's interest.

[25] Depicted in the print is the seventy-one-year-old Nishimuraya Yohachi, seated on his mattress and bedding in front of a painted byōbu (屏風) folding screen.

Given the fan and his posture, it is likely that he is engaging in the New Year's convention of reciting nō plays,[29] an intended indication of the elegance and erudition of this "man of taste.

"[35] 'Fuji' (富士), when written with the homophone kanji characters 不 (fu - not/ un-) and 死 (ji - death), can be interpreted to mean 'immortality.

According to the Museum Angewandte Kunst, Nishimuraya's involvement is hinted at by "the fact that a kakihan [書判][38] or paraphe [sic] follows Eijudō's signature."

[39] Founded by an ascetic named Hasegawa Kakugyō (1541-1646),[40] the cult venerated the mountain as a female deity, and encouraged its members to climb it.

[43] The publisher's association with the Fuji-kō gives clues not only to imagery in his portrait, but also to his eagerness to participate in the production of Hokusai's series celebrating Mount Fuji.

Many art historians suggest that the portrait was likely a private commission based on the print's content and the fact that it has no kiwame-in censor seal.

What is fairly universally accepted is that it is a very rare and notable work, being "one of the few ichimai-e [single sheet prints] of the 18th century to feature neither a bijin nor an actor.