Parody of

A print presenting a parody of a classical subject — the word "mitate" (parody or comparison) being fundamental to Japanese visual culture, in which well-known figures, stories, or compositions are placed in new contexts that generate meaning through the distance between original and copy. Kyosai was a master of the mitate form, using it to comment on classical literature, historical events, religious subjects, and contemporary social conditions simultaneously, his parodies always containing genuine respect for the originals they transform.