This fascinating print originates from the 1853 series "Comparison of New and Old Calligraphies and Paintings" (Shin-ko shoga awase). It is an excellent example of harimaze, a format featuring multiple small scenes originally intended to be cut apart and pasted into albums or applied to screens. While some previous listings failed to read the artist's name, the marginal inscriptions clearly identify the creators. The upper section features elegant calligraphy by Hon'ami Nagane. The lower section depicts a classic motif of a Shirabyoshi dancer seated in a boat beneath a weeping willow. The signature on this lower image reads "Ōju Toyokuni utsusu" (Copied by request by Toyokuni), accompanied by the distinctive toshidama seal. Thus, the woodblock design was executed by Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). Befitting the series' theme of comparing the old with the new, Kunisada translated an older painting by the famous Edo master Hanabusa Itchō (1652–1724) into this "new" print format.
