The vase has a typical copper body with an applied silver rim and silver base plate with the jungin mark. The olive-brown ground is decorated with a silver yusen moriage and shaded pale olive-brown design consisting of an upper band of stylised birds and a central band of 'cicada-wing' lappets containing stylised dragons. The interior counter-enamel is of a shiny, speckled dark brown, as is the inner base plate, which bears the gold yusen mark of the Ando Company.

The vase follows the shape and decorative style of an ancient Chinese bronze Hu of the Han dynasty (221 BC-AD 220). It is particularly interesting for the mixture of styles and techniques it uses and for its reference to ancient Chinese bronzes. This recreation of an ancient bronze in cloisonné enamels is in keeping with Japan's long tradition of reproducing objects in alternative media. The associated box for this piece has an inscription describing the decoration as a 'male dragon' and carries the signature and seal of the Ando Company. For a comparable piece by Hayashi Tanigoro dated c.1912-1917 and in the collection of the Ando Company, see Coben & Ferster, Plate 130.