One of the most influential streams of painting in Japanese art history, the Kano school towered over its rivals for almost 400 years. First flourishing in the mid-15th century, it survived the years of great unrest after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate by building relationships of mutual trust with warlords from Oda Nobunaga to the Tokugawas. The Nezu Museum's winter special illustrates how the Kano painters went from suiboku-ga ('water ink') specialists to generalists who could cater to the ruling warriors' every request. You'll see work by Kano school founder Kano Masanobu (1434-1530), his son Motonobu, Kano Tan'yu, who split the Kano unity by moving to Edo from Kyoto in the early 1600s, and Sanraku and Sansetsu, who established the Kyo-Kano branch of the school. Covering the entire history of these artistic royals, it offers a comprehensive look into the golden age of traditional Japanese painting.
Note that some of the displayed pieces will be switched around during the exhibition period.