"In the houses of the lords and nobles these paintings and the doors of the rooms have a background richly painted in gold, and on this gold they paint the picture in various suitable colors.'' (This Island of Japon. João Rodrigues' account of 16th-century Japan. Translated and edited by Michael Cooper).
The Kyoto National Museum's "Kano Eitoku, Momoyama Painter Extraordinaire" show provides a rare chance to see many of the works of Eitoku (1543-90) still in existence. This master of late 16th-century painting is well-known as the creator of monumental, grand-scale works on folding screens and fusuma (sliding-doors) that furnished the palaces and castles of the nobility and warlords.
Eitoku's bold, powerful designs and lavish use of gold leaf expressed the vigor of his time and underscored the megalomania of his patrons. Unintentionally, they also reflected hubris before the fall. Many of these buildings were soon destroyed in the course of civil war and much of what is left of Eitoku's prodigious output has been preserved in the care of temples.