Hakutaku or Baize is the name of a Chinese mythical beast with nine eyes (three on its face and six on its body). Believed to speak human language, the beast was said to appear during the reigns of virtuous rulers and was a popular motif painted not only in the Ryukyus, but also in Japan and China. In ancient China, the motif was used on robes to differentiate rank. The artist Gusukuma Seiho (Jiryo) is the earliest court painter ever mentioned in documents. Although he was born unable to hear and speak, he was an artist with outstanding abilities. Envoy Du S_nce, who visited the Ryukyus for the investiture of King Sho Ho, praised Jiryo's painting by commenting that his works were as exceptional as the works of prominent Chinese masters Gu H_tou and Wang Mojie. In another incident, when Jiryo's paintings were presented as gifts and displayed to a shogun, Japanese court painter Kano Yasunobu claimed that he would've liked to have Jiryo as a friend if he were to live in Japan. Several works of Jiryo's exist, but this painting is the only one that is sealed with a rakkan, proving it to be his. Kamakura Yoshitaro photographed this work before the war and noted that this work was preserved at the residence of Tomigusuku Choki