This print depicts Sanjō Kantarō II as Yaoya Oshichi arranging her hair before a lacquer mirror. The scene is from the play Nanakusa Fukki Soga (七種福貴曽我) performed at the Ichimura theatre in the first month of 1718.

The mon (crest) of a sealed letter on the kimono is the main hint that the actor is playing Yaoya Oshichi - it was used on costumes for the character to symbolise the letter she sent to the man she loved, although before that it was used as a family crest by the actor who originally played Oshichi.

While it is unclear exactly what this particular play is about, Yaoya Oshichi ("greengrocer Oshichi") was a famous character who appeared in numerous plays for her ardent love and tragic end. She had fallen in love with a man she met during a large fire and, thinking that if there was another fire she could meet him again, she attempted to light another fire, a crime for which she was burned at the stake.