In this print, which belongs to a series of prints of around 1860 called ‘Famous men of Japan’, Ichikawa depicts Shibata Katsuie. Katsuie was the most important captain of the warlord Oda Nobunaga. He fought bravely against various regional warlords during Nobunaga’s countrywide military campaigns, and helped defeat the militant Buddhist Jodo Shin sect. From 1575 he was governor of Echizen Province (now part of Fukui Prefecture). During the struggle for power after Nobunaga's death in 1582, Katsuie and his troops were defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the Battle of Shizugatake on 11 June 1583 and three days later he committed suicide.

The devotion to his lord and display of self-sacrifice that Katsuie demonstrated were lauded as admirable attributes in Japan at the time this series of prints was produced. Around 1860 the military government of Japan was weak and western powers were forcing Japan to re-evaluate their country in a worldwide context.