A courtesan burns a love letter in this print by Harunobu. An apparition of the lover who wrote the letter appears in the smoke coming from the brazier, much to the courtesan's surprise. The print is based on the theme of a legendary Chinese incense called hankonkō (反魂香). This incense, when burned, will emit a smoke in which a deceased person can be seen. Perhaps the courtesan's lover is dead, or perhaps this is an adaptation of the original legend in which the lover is alive, but simply appears to the courtesan because she is thinking of him while burning the letter.