Based on a historical tale of revenge that took place in 1703, the popular play Kanadehon Chūshingura recounts the plot of forty-seven samurai taking revenge on Lord Moronao for instigating the events leading to the suicide of their master, Lord Hangan. While Yuranosuke, the leader of the samurai, begins plotting to avenge Hangan’s death, Lord Moronao convinces another former Hangan retainer, Ono Kudayū, to become a spy for him to uncover details of the revenge plot. Tsuruya Kōkei used delicately translucent paper for his prints, and the material is best exploited in this work. The letter in the spying Kudayū’s hand is impressed onto the back of the actual print, causing its contents to appear backwards to the viewer. Kudayū is played by Suketakaya Kodenji II, whose long, bony face and thin, wide pursed lips visually convey the spy’s lack of moral character.