Painted Sliding Door Panels
The painted, sliding door panels (shohekiga) that adorn the Genkan entrance and the rooms of the Daishoin at Myōhōin are considered representative works of the Kano school and are designated Important Cultural Properties.
The bold composition of the Genkan paintings features imposing pine trees on a gold background, and although the identities of the artists are uncertain, the work is reminiscent of that of the followers of Kano Eitoku (1543–1590). The paintings on room dividers (tsuitate) placed in the Genkan that picture Chinese children at play are also thought to have been produced by Kano school painters during the Momoyama period (1568–1615).
In the Daishoin, the paintings in the First Room (Daiichi no Ma) depict various scenes featuring Chinese people, and those in the Second Room (Daini no Ma) are of willows, cherries, and flowering grasses on a gold ground. The characteristics of the coloring suggest these were painted by Kano school painters who were led by Kano Mitsunobu (1561 or 65–1608). Paintings in the Ura no Ma are thought to have been produced by the Kano school somewhat later, during the final years of the Momoyama period.