Hand-painted depiction of a Japanese whaling boat on rice paper with silk backing. The boat is shown in side view; it is colored in black, white, red, and tan, with a red floral decorative pattern. At top left is a line of kanji, translating roughly to "picture of whale hunting around Kumano", Kumano Bay being a well-known whaling center. This text may refer to another scene to the right, which has been cut away. At left is a white oblong object which has been cut off on the edge of the paper. It appears to be an attempt to wash out another painting or inscription: its center is grey with an uneven gradient as if it covers ink.
The original cataloging cards indicate that this object was cut from a scroll entitled, in translation, "Whales and Whaling".
