The black flag at the upper right corner contains the series name. The scroll at the upper left contains a text description of the print, including the title, Kurofuda (black plank), referring to the black wooden plank to the right of the stage. When a member of the audience needed to be paged, their name would be written on this plank.

This print gives a glimpse into a kabuki theater. A stage assistant beats long wooden clappers (hyoshigi or ki) to accentuate the opening of the curtain and the start of the performance. Another assistant is waiting to strike slightly shorter clappers (tsuke) against a board placed on the floor to emphasize other onstage actions such as running, fighting, or mie (striking a powerful, emotional pose). It also gives a glimpse of the audience and while some appear to be attentive to the action on stage, others are also talking, looking at notes and even entertaining a baby.

This is one print from a calendar series describing events in Edo Kabuki theater. The black emblem in the top right corner tells the title of the series; the scroll holds text explaining the theatrical event. This print was made during the Meiji period (1868-1912), but stems from a long history of calendar printmaking. The title Sashidashi Kantera literally means “reaching-out lantern.” The man on the right is holding a candle with a reflector on a long, flexible bamboo pole to light up the face of the actor.