Kichiya works as a male prostitute in a brothel. O-Ei visits him seeking firsthand sexual experience to address critiques that her erotic shunga paintings lack sensuality, driven by an analytical desire to improve her artistic technique. Their encounter becomes uncomfortable and unfulfilling when Kichiya falls asleep, leaving O-Ei's artistic objectives unachieved. This incident emphasizes the societal gap between Kichiya's position as an uneducated sex worker and the higher-ranking courtesans O-Ei usually depicts. His role illustrates O-Ei's pragmatic but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to merge her technical skill with lived experience in her art.