Kanō Michinobu (, 20 December 1730 – 24 September 1790) was a Japanese painter of the

Kanō school The is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. The Kanō school of painting was the dominant style of painting from the late 15th century until the Meiji era, Meiji period which began in 1868, by which time the school had divided i ...

of painting. He was the first appointed "inner painter" to the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'', to whom he remained close. Michinobu also used the art names Eisen (), Eisen'in (), and Hakugyokusai ().

Life and career

Michinobu was born with the given name Shōzaburō () on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year

Kyōhō , also pronounced Kyōho, was a after '' Shōtoku'' and before ''Genbun.'' This period spanned the years from July 1716 through April 1736. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1716 : The era name of ''Kyōhō'' (meaning "Undergo ...

(20 December 1730) in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

(modern Tokyo). He was the first son of the

painter

Eisen Hisanobu Eisen is a German surname meaning "iron". Notable people with the surname include: * Arnold Eisen, professor of Jewish studies * Arthur Arturovich Eisen, a Russian soloist with the Alexandrov Ensemble * Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen (1720–1778) ...

(, or Kanō Furonobu 1698–1731), who had taken over as head of the school from

Kanō Tsunenobu (1636–1713) was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school. He first studied under his father, Kanō Naonobu, and then his uncle, Kanō Tan'yū was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school. One of the foremost Kanō painters of the Toku ...

in 1728 and who died in 1731, the year after Michinobu's birth.

Jusen Harunobu Jurchen may refer to: * Jurchen people, Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century ** Haixi Jurchens, a grouping of the Jurchens as identified by the Chinese of the Ming Dynasty ** Jianzhou Jurchens, a grouping of ...

() was adopted into the family to carry on the line but also fell sick and died in 1731 at age 17. Michinobu was thus officially named to carry on the line. As he was an infant, he did not have an audience with the ''shōgun'' whom he was to serve until 1741. Michinobu was prolific and ambitious and came to dominate the Kanō school. In the face of the rising popularity of popular art of the

Nanpin school The Nanpin school (南蘋派 ''Nanpin-ha'') was a school of painting which flourished in Nagasaki during the Edo period. Etymology The school takes its name from Nanpin, the art name of Chinese painter Shen Quan (1682–1760), an artist who pa ...

, Michinobu strove to revive the Kanō school's fading status and re-introduced the bold brush strokes of the school's Chinese-inspired roots. He won the deep favour of the ''shōgun''

Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu 徳川家治 (20 June 1737 – 17 September 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given the ...

(1737–86), to whom he remained close and who had Michinobu moved from his workshop in Takegawa to a mansion in Kobikichō in central Edo. The branch flourished and Michinobu instructed large numbers of students. Under Ieharu's influence the Kobikichō branch replaced the Nakabishi branch as the dominant branch of the Kanō school. Tokugawa Iemoto

In 1762 the rank of ''hōgen''—the second highest for Buddhist priests—was conferred on Michinobu. In 1763 he was made an "inner painter" ( ''oku-goyō eshi''), a title Ieharu had created that year for painters appointed to paint the ''shōgun''s inner chambers and which gave the painter freedom to roam these chambers and personal access to the ''shōgun''. Michinobu lost influence after the death of Ieharu in 1786; the next ''shōgun'' Ienari's senior councilor

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Matsu ...

described him as "an adept painter and remarkably proficient at securing the patronage of important persons" and favoured other outside painters. On Michinobu's death in 1790 his son (1753–1808) succeeded as the head of the Kanō school.

Legacy

Almost every major collection of Japanese art in the world has an example of Michinobu's prolific work. The declares him "the last member of a great house" who had "to labour without stint". His work was highly praised and was often judged the greatest since

Kanō Tan'yū was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school. One of the foremost Kanō painters of the Tokugawa period, many of the best known Kanō works today are by Tan'yū. Biography His original given name was Morinobu; he was the eldest son of K ...

's, though writer

Ueda Akinari was a Japanese author, scholar and '' waka'' poet, and a prominent literary figure in 18th-century Japan. He was an early writer in the '' yomihon'' genre and his two masterpieces, '' Ugetsu Monogatari'' ("Tales of Rain and the Moon") and '' Ha ...

stated he could not "detect much to admire in him". The shogunate retainer considered Michinobu "a good painter" who was "compromised" by his ambitions and self-promotion. The

ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

artist Chōbunsai

Eishi was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. His last name was Hosoda (細田). His first name was Tokitomi (時富). His common name was Taminosuke (民之丞) and later Yasaburo (弥三郎). Pupil of Kanō Michinobu, Kano Eisen'in Michinobu (狩野栄川 ...

(1756–1829) appears to have studied under Michinobu. Eishi may have received his

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

from Michinobu, though tradition holds the ''shōgun'' Ieharu bestowed it on him.

References

Works cited

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kano, Michinobu 1730 births 1790 deaths 18th-century Japanese painters Kanō school Artists from Tokyo Metropolis