In this print, datable 1842-1844, Hiroshige portrays a kingfisher. This variety of bird, belonging to the family of the Alcedinids, has an amazing plumage with splendid colours: the back, the head, the wings and the tail are of a beautiful blue tending to the dark green, while the chest is orange with shades ranging from red to rust. For this reason, since ancient times, it has been compared to a jewel for the brilliance of its almost iridescent colours. The kingfisher also has a long beak, used for catching its prey, which are mostly fish. Indeed, he is called "fisherman" for his unique style of hunting: he uses the protruding branches on the water surfaces as an observation point, only waiting for the right moment to get into action and attack. For this reason, they mostly prefer the banks of rivers, freshwater ponds and mountain streams, where the water is very clear and clean.

In this work, the kingfisher is portrayed in a hunting scene, intent on diving towards the water to grab his daily prey. In the background there is the kakitsubata iris (燕 子 花), distinguished by the beautiful purple flowers with blue shades, the falling sepals with white spots reminiscent of the ears of a rabbit, and the long, pointed leaves that stand out upwards. The red and blue plumage of the kingfisher is wonderfully blended with the intense violet of the iris, and creates a pleasant contrast that accompanies the vision of the entire work.

In left part of the work, we find a poem dedicated to this animal, which reads:

kawasemi no

hane wo yosofute

mizu kagami

the kingfisher

adjusts its feathers

watching itself in the water