When Eigaku took over as the family head, Kyo Kano, serving as the official painter at the Imperial Palace, was playing second fiddle to the Tosa school and the Tsurusawa school.
禁裏の御用絵師とはいえ、永岳が家督を継いだ頃の京狩野派は、土佐派や鶴沢派の後塵を拝し不遇な立場にあった。