Each sheet depicts a kabuki actor as a samurai, and belongs to a series of prints celebrating illustrious figures in Japan's martial tradition.

The print belongs to the permanent collection of the Prince Takamado Gallery of Japanese Art in the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada.

[1] Doesburg has argued that such print collections reflect an attempt to circumvent censorship of kabuki-themed ukiyo-e under the Tenpō Reforms by cloaking the dramatic content in titles that imply the promotion of moral values and "suggesting that the portraits were actually representations of famous men and women from history and legend."

Originally written in 1780 for the ningyō jōruri puppet theatre by Kijō Tarō (紀上太郎),Utei Enba (烏亭焉馬) and Yō Yōtai (容楊黛), the play was soon adapted for the kabuki stage.

It recounts the story of the Keian Uprising of 1651 led by Yui Shōsetsu (由井正雪) (d. 1651), a commoner who rose to prominence as an expert swordsman and martial artist.

Frustrated by the increasingly strict regulations placed on the samurai, Yui and a small band of rōnin attempted to stage a coup against the ruling Tokugawa shogunate.

The figure on the right wears a more elaborate kimono, which includes a haori jacket decorated with a flower kamon family crest on the sleeve and shoulder.

[8] Born in Edo in 1791, Ebizō was the son of a shibai jaya (theatre tea-house) owner and grandson of Ichikawa Danjūrō V, one of the biggest kabuki stars of his day.

He was arrested and temporarily banished from Edo to Kamigata on the grounds that his ostentatious lifestyle was deemed to be irreconcilable with the Tokugawa bakufu's call for modesty and frugality.

[18] As kabuki grew in popularity, stars emerged, which in turn led to the yakusha-e (役者絵) (actor print) subgenre.