Kanō Muneshige (狩野宗茂) was a Japanese samurai of the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...

. He was the son of

Kudō Shigemitsu Kudō Shigemitsu (工藤茂光, died 1180) was a Japanese samurai lord and ''gōzoku'' of the late Heian period. He is the founder of the Kanō clan. He is also known as Kudō Mochimitsu. Life Kanō Shigemitsu was born in Izu Province as ...

, the founder of the Kanō clan. He is said to be an ancestor of

Kanō Masanobu was a Japanese painter. He was the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate and is generally considered the founder of the Kanō school of painting. Kano Masanobu specialized in Zen paintings as well as elaborate paintings of Buddhist deities and ...

, the founder of the Kanō school of painting.

Life

Born as a son of

, the fourth son of

Kudō Suketaka Kudō Suketaka (工藤祐隆) was a Japanese feudal lord. He was the lord of Kusumi Manor in Izu Province and the 6th head of the Kudō clan. He founded the Itō clan and is the ancestor to the Kanō clan and the Kawazu clan. He was also know ...

(Itō Ietsugu), he was the sixth head of

Fujiwara Nanke Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

's Kudō clan. Muneshige served Minamoto no Yoritomo during the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

. In May 1193, Muneshige and Hōjō Tokimasa were in charge of the preparatory construction of mansions at the site of the

Fuji no Makigari Fuji no Makigari (富士の巻狩り) was a grand hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo from June to July 1193, centering around the foot of Mount Fuji. 700,000 participated in the event, including a large number of the shogun's ''g ...

, a grand hunting event planned by Yoritomo. He then participated in the event later that month. After the brothers Soga Sukenari and Tokimune killed their father's killer,

Kudō Suketsune Kudō Suketsune (Japanese: 工藤祐経; 1147 – June 28, 1193) was a samurai and ''gokenin'' in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. He is known for having been assassinated during the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident. Life Sukets ...

, during the

Revenge of the Soga Brothers The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (曾我兄弟の仇討ち, ''Soga kyōdai no adauchi'') was a vengeance incident on June 28, 1193, during the Fuji no Makigari hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The Soga brothers, Soga Sukenar ...

incident on the last night of the hunting event, Muneshige was present at Tokimune's interrogation. Ever since Muneshige, his descendants were called "Kanō-''suke''" (''suke'' being one of the titles for '' kokushi'' officials'')'' for generations. They served as ''kokushi'' officials in the Izu Province. The name "Kanō" comes from the Kanō Manor in Izu Province (currently near Kanō River in Odairakakigi, Izu,

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

), where the Kudō clan was based.

Genealogy

, the founder of the Kanō school and the Kanō family, a family of distinguished Japanese painters, is said to be a descendant of Kanō Muneshige.

References

{{reflist Samurai People of Kamakura-period Japan