“The Jeweled Chaplet” (“Tamakazura”), from The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari)

Tosa Mitsuyoshi, son of Tosa Mitsumochi and grandson of Tosa Mitsunobu, was also trained in the Tosa school and continued the family tradition as an artist at the shoguns' court. However, the social unrest of the 16th century and the precarious position of the Ashikaga shoguns made it increasingly dangerous to be in Kyoto, and after Tosa Mitsumoto's death in battle in 1569, Tosa Mitsuyoshi inherited the family property, including painting materials and models. He later lost contact with the Edokoro painting academy and the shogunate and was forced to settle in Sakai, a trading port near Osaka. There he continued to work, but under the patronage of wealthy merchants. He became a monk around 1593. Kano's representatives in Kyoto repeatedly wrote to Mitsuyoshi urging him to return to the capital, but he preferred to remain in Sakai. Around 1599, Kano Takanobu (1571—1618) became the official artist at the court, ending the dominance of the Tosa school. The loss of the shogunate's patronage had an effect on the artist's work; different commissions led to great variations in the formats and stylistic qualities of the artist's paintings.