Kanō Naonobu 狩野直信

Less famous than either his father, Kano Motonobu (147 ? -1559), or his son, Kano Eitoku (1543-1590), Shōei spent most of his life in Kyoto as a painter in the service of the Ashikaga shogunate. After the death of his elder brother in 1562, Shōei assumed the position as head of the clan and was awarded the religious rank of hōgen 法眼. He began using the name Shōei sometime after this period, and is usually called by that name to distinguish him from another Kano Naonobu 尚信, who lived from 1607-1650.