The actor Yamanaka Heikuro I as a demon

Yamanaka Heikuro I, whose specialty in vigorous aragoto roles is documented across Kiyonobu's prints of this period, is portrayed here as a demon in a hosoban sumizuri-e of around 1706. Without color, the composition relies entirely on the bold line work for which Kiyonobu had become famous: the demon's costume bristles with sharp angles and exaggerated curves, while the actor's face beneath the demon mask retains enough humanity to identify Yamanaka Heikuro to Edo audiences who knew his physiognomy. Demon roles drew on traditions from Noh drama as well as kabuki adaptations of medieval tales, and they offered actors a chance to demonstrate the physical exaggerations of aragoto in their most extreme form.