This painting shows a dead cow with its belly slit open, perhaps a mystery to many viewers. In fact, when a cow died in those days, because gas would build up in its stomach, the farmer had to slit its belly open right away to let out the gas. Nissho gives us a clear view of the red innards, so realistic that we can almost feel the heat coming from the cow’s body. Because the colors are subdued overall, the red stands out vividly. We feel sad for the dead cow with its belly slit open, but may also sense the life force coming from its body. This work belongs to the period when Nissho was studying the effects of color, trying to change his monochrome painting style. The traction he gained with this painting led to much more lavish use of primary colors in future works.