Kano Hideyori · Dates unknown (active 16th century)
Kano Hideyori
Kano Hideyori was a painter of the Kano school active from the Muromachi to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His dates are unknown; he is said to have been either the second son or a descendant of Kano Motonobu, and is known as the creator of the Viewing Maple Leaves screens.
Kano Hideyori was a Kano-school painter active from the Muromachi period into the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His dates of birth and death are unknown. One theory holds that he was the second son of Motonobu, who established the Kano school; another identifies him with a grandson of Motonobu. It is hard to decide between them.
Several works bear a "Hideyori" seal, but much about the man remains a mystery. A votive horse plaque, Shinme-zu Gaku, carries the date 1569 (Eiroku 12), showing that he remained active after Motonobu's death. For this reason, the theory that he was Motonobu's second son has gained strength in recent years. In 1534 (Tenbun 3) he was adopted into the Hongo family, which had served for generations as Buddhist painters at the To-ji temple painting office, and took over that post.
He is known as the creator of the Viewing Maple Leaves at Takao screens, regarded as one of the earliest masterpieces of early modern genre painting.
