The portrait of the deceased appears framed in the kakemono format, with a relative or admirer offering incense or just remembering him.
Often, this type of image gives the impression that between them there is a dialogue unfolding.
Sometimes, instead of appearing as a pictorial representation, the kakemono frame is replaced by the opening of a window, as in this case. Kaseiin Kanjaku Nikko Shinji is this actor’s kaimyô or posthumous Buddhist name.
Sometimes verses from the Nirvana Sutra are written, alluding to the fleetingness of this world: “All things are impermanent, this is the law of arising and ceasing. When arising and ceasing are extinguished, tranquility is blissful”. This verse is widely used at funerals and many sects write it on the banners for funeral processions.
Other times, different poems are used with the same meaning, as in this case: “In the sky of the second lunar month the sadness of the flight of the sparrows remains”.