Kano Eitoku

• Birth: 1543
• Death: 1590
• Sons: Kanô Sanraku (1559-1635), Kanô Mitsunobu (1561-1608), Kanô Takanobu (1571-1618)
• Distinction: Painter

Eitoku was the son of Kanô Shôei (1514-1562) and carried on the Kanô school of painting as established by Kanô Masanobu (1434-1530). Eitoku was likely tutored at a young age by his talented grandfather Kanô Motonobu (1476-1559), who introduced him to shôgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru in 1552. In 1566 he produced a number of paintings for the Abbot's Quarters of the Jukôn-in in the Daitoku-ji. He was contracted by Oda Nobunaga to produce a series of wall paintings (shôhekiga) for Azuchi castle around 1578 but these were all lost when Azuchi was destroyed in 1582. He afterwards worked for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and produced work for Jurakudai and Osaka castle. Eitoku died suddenly in 1590 and his unfinished projects were completed by his son Mitsunobu.

References

• Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005