The image of a man near a barbed wire fence likely stems from Kanemitsu’s recollections of war. The work may portray one of the German and Italian prisoners of war that Kanemitsu was detained alongside in the early years of the war. The bandage-like wrapping on the head of the figure could also relate to Kanemitsu’s role in the Special Services of the medical branch of the army in the closing years of World War II.