An unidentified Japanese Kabuki actor poses in full stage costume and makeup in this albumen carte-de-visite, almost certainly produced in Japan for the foreign souvenir and export market during the Meiji era, dating to the 1870s or early 1880s based on mount format and photographic style. No photographer's imprint is visible on the plain mount, though images of this type were commonly produced by Yokohama-based studios including those of Felice Beato, Kusakabe Kimbei, and Adolfo Farsari for sale to visiting Western travelers and diplomats.

The actor sits in a wide-legged crouching pose on a tatami mat floor, wearing a dark silk kimono with white inner robes spread dramatically across his knees, a wide obi sash at the waist, and tall wooden geta sandals. His face is painted in the bold Aragoto or warrior-style Kabuki makeup with strongly lined eyes and a dramatic expression of intensity. A white cloth headpiece with a small decorative element at the crown completes the costume, and the handle of a sword or prop is visible at the left hip.

The full-body theatrical pose, the deliberate presentation of costume details from headpiece to geta, and the plain dark studio backdrop are consistent with the genre of Japanese performer portraits produced for the export trade throughout the Meiji period, when Western demand for images of traditional Japanese theatrical culture was substantial.