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Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Shinjitai (modern Japanese) writing: 豊臣秀吉; Kyūjitai (historical) writing: 豐臣秀吉; born Hiyoshi-maru 日吉丸; coming of age (gempuku) as Kinoshita Tōkichirō 木下藤吉郎 and later made Hashiba and martial nobility in the style of Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi 羽柴筑前守秀吉; 1536 - September 18, 1598), was a Sengoku daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. He was also known for masterminding the invasions of Korea. He is noted for a number of cultural legacies, including the restriction that only members of the samurai class could bear arms.

The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Toyotomi's castle. It lasted from 1582 to his death in 1598, or (according to some scholars) until Tokugawa Ieyasu seized power after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

Rise to power

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was born in what is now Nakamura-ku, Nagoya in Owari province, the home of the Oda clan. He was born with no traceable samurai lineage and hence without a surname: his childhood given name was Hiyoshimaru, although variations exist. According to Maeda Toshiie and a European missionary named Luis Frois, he was polydactyl—he had two thumbs on his right hand, and he didn't amputate his extra thumb as other Japanese in his period would have done. As a youth, he first joined the Imagawa clan as a servant of local ruler Matsushita, under the name Kinoshita Tokichiro.

Later, he joined the Oda clan as a lowly servant. He was noticed for his resourcefulness and rose to a high position within a relatively short time. Despite his peasant origins, he quickly became one of Oda Nobunaga's most distinguished generals, eventually taking the name Hashiba (the name was made up of two characters, each taken from Oda's two other right-hand men, Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsuie) Hideyoshi.

Some of his well-known exploits under Oda Nobunaga, many of them exaggerated and romanticized, include the legendary overnight construction of Sunomata Castle, his encounters with Takenaka Shigeharu, and later the siege of Takamatsu Castle.

After the assassinations of Oda Nobunaga and his eldest son, Oda Nobutada at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide in 1582, Hashiba defeated Akechi at the Battle of Yamazaki and established his de facto succession to Oda's military rule.

At the Kiyosu Meeting to decide on a de jure successor, Hashiba cast aside the apparent candidate, Oda Nobutaka and his advocate, Oda clan's chief general, Shibata Katsuie, by supporting Nobutada's young son, Oda Hidenobu. Having won the support of the other two Oda elders, Niwa Nagahide and Ikeda Itsuoki, Hashiba established Hidenobu's position, as well as his own influence in the Oda clan. Tension quickly escalated between Shibata and Hashiba, and at the Battle of Shizugatake in the following year, Hashiba destroyed Shibata's forces and thus consolidated his own power, absorbing most of the Oda clan into his control.

However, Nobunaga's other son, Oda Nobukatsu remained hostile to Hashiba. He allied himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the two sides fought at the inconclusive Battle of Komaki-Nagakute. It ultimately resulted in a stalemate, although the Hashiba forces were delivered a heavy blow. Finally, Hashiba made peace with Nobukatsu, ending the pretext for war between the Tokugawa and Hashiba clans. Tokugawa eventually subjected himself to become a vassal to Hashiba.

Pinnacle of power

Hideyoshi wanted the title of shogun in order to be truly considered the active ruler of Japan. However, the emperor was unable to grant such a title to someone of Hideyoshi's lowly origins. He requested the last Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, to accept him as an adopted son, but was refused. Unable to become shogun, in 1585 he took the position of regent (kampaku), as the Fujiwara Regents had done, and it was around this time that he married Lady Yodo, the mother of his future son. In 1586, Hashiba was formally given the name Toyotomi by the imperial court. He built a lavish palace, the Jurakudai, in 1587 and entertained the reigning Emperor Go-Yozei the following year.

Afterwards, Toyotomi subjugated Kii Province and conquered Shikoku under the Chosokabe clan. He also took control of Etchu and conquered Kyushu. In 1587, Toyotomi banished Christian missionaries from Kyushu to exert greater control over the Kirishitan daimyo. In 1588, Toyotomi started a sword hunt and forbade ordinary peasants from owning weapons. This measure effectively stopped peasant revolts and ensured greater stability at the expense of individual freedom. The 1590 Siege of Odawara against the Late Hojo clan in Kanto, the last resisting force to Toyotomi's authority, signified the end of the Sengoku period.

A year later, Toyotomi resigned as kampaku to take the title of taiko (retired regent). His adopted son, Hidetsugu (actually his nephew) succeeded him as kampaku.

His health faltering, but still yearning for some accomplishment to solidify his legacy, he devised two ill-fated campaigns through the Korean peninsula toward China. Hideyoshi's forces occupied much of the Korean peninsula. However, Hideyoshi's forces were not able to invade China. Near his deathbed, Toyotomi ordered the forces withdrawn—his clan's coffers decreased and vassals of Hideyoshi at odds over responsibility for the failure.

In 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died. Rather than strengthen his position, the military expeditions served to weaken the clans that were loyal to the Toyotomi name. Following Toyotomi's death, the other members of the Council of Five Regents were unable to keep the ambitions of Tokugawa Ieyasu in check. Toyotomi's underaged son and designated successor Hideyori lost the claim to the power his father once held, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was declared shogun following the Battle of Sekigahara.

Cultural legacy

It is important to note the many ways in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi changed Japanese society. During the Sengoku period, it became common for peasants to become warriors, or even for samurai to farm due to the constant uncertainty of no centralized government and always tentative peace. Upon taking control, Toyotomi decreed that all peasants be disarmed completely. This solidified the social class system for the next 300 years. Furthermore, he ordered all of Japan to be surveyed, including a census. Once this was done and all citizens were registered, he required all Japanese to stay in their respective provinces (or 'han') without official permission to go elsewhere. These steps were taken to ensure a modicum of peace in a period of time where bandits still roamed the countryside and peace was still new. But also by surveying the countryside, Japanese land and resources could be utilized properly. In 1588, Toyotomi effectively abolished slavery by stopping sales of slaves. Contract and indentured labor replaced slavery.

In 1590 Toyotomi completed construction of the huge Osaka Castle, the largest and most formidable in all Japan, to guard the western approaches to Kyoto. His contributions were not all military, however. Inspired by the dazzling Kinkaku (golden pavilion) temple in northwestern Kyoto, he constructed a fabulous portable tea room, known as kigame no zashiki ("golden chamber"), covered with gold leaf and lined inside with red gossamer. Using this mobile innovation, he was able to practice the Japanese tea ceremony wherever he went, powerfully projecting his unrivaled power and status upon his arrival.

Politically, he set up a governmental system that balanced out the most powerful Japanese warlords (or daimyo). A council was created to include the most influential lords. At the same time, a regent was designated to be in command. The combined polity functioned in some ways like a president with a parliament.

At the time of his death, Toyotomi had hoped to set up a system stable enough to survive until his son grew old enough to become the next leader. A council of five regents was formed, consisting of the five most powerful daimyo. Following the death of Maeda Toshiie, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to secure alliances, including political marriages (which had been forbidden by Toyotomi). Things eventually came to a head and the pro-Toyotomi forces fought against Tokugawa and his allies in the battle of Sekigahara. Tokugawa won and received the title of Seii-tai Shogun two years later.

Tokugawa, asserting their wisdom, left in place the majority of Toyotomi's decrees to use as a base upon which his fledgling shogunate was built. This ensured that Toyotomi's cultural legacy remained.

Popular culture

Toyotomi's life is also frequently used as a source of inspiration in fictional works, films, and video games.

Toyotomi appears in Capcom's Onimusha and Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends, Taikou Risshiden, Vasara 2, and Sengoku Basara 2.

He appears in Ezra Pound's long poem The Cantos.

Also, in James Clavell's famous novel Shogun, though Toyotomi Hideyoshi isn't a character by name, the figure of the Taiko in this historical novel bears a remarkable resemblance to him while going by a different name.

Note on name

Due to his low birth and ascendence to the high nobility, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had quite a few names throughout his life. While he is most commonly known as "Toyotomi Hideyoshi" in English, this is actually wrong. Hideyoshi's last adopted myōji (苗字, family name) is Hashiba (羽柴). Toyotomi (豊臣) is, in fact, a newly created uji or sei (氏 or 姓, clan name) granted by the emperor and used concurrently with his myōji. As is the rule with uji, Hideyoshi's name is correctly read as Toyotomi no Hideyoshi, similar to Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

The Toyotomi uji was simultaneously granted to a number of Hideyoshi's chosen allies, whom adopted the new uji "豊臣朝臣" (Toyotomi no asomi, courtier of Toyotomi).

Further reading

• Eiji Yoshikawa: Taiko (historical fiction). Kodansha International (Japan), 2001, ISBN 4-7700-2609-9
• Mary Elizabeth Berry: Hideyoshi (historical work). Harvard Council on East Asian Studies (Boston), 1989, ISBN 0-674-39026-1

External links

• Hideyoshi Toyotomi (in Japanese)
• Hideyoshi (1996) TV-Series at IMDb
• SengokuDaimyo.com The website of Samurai Author and Historian Anthony J. Bryant
  • Anthony J. Bryant is the author of Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power, Praeger Publishers, September 2005
• The Toyokuni shrine at Find-A-Grave

• 1536 births
• 1598 deaths
• Daimyo
• History of Japan
• Samurai
• Sessho and Kampaku