-Hideyoshi Toyotomi-

(1537–98). Warlord of humble origins who in 1590 completed the work of national reunification begun by Oda Nobunaga. A brilliant strategist and shrewd politician, he usually showed a generosity toward his enemies untypical of his time. His social reforms, while having the fundamental aim of strengthening his hold on the country, nevertheless showed an awareness of the many socioeconomic problems of the age. Despite his grandiose plans for conquest abroad and the megalomania of the last few years of his life, he is one of the great figures in Japanese history.

At his birth Hideyoshi was called Hiyoshimaru, later changed to Tokichiro, the family name being Kinoshita. In 1558, on entering Nobunaga's service, he was called Kochiku; in 1562 he changed this name to Hideyoshi and in 1573 changed the family name Kinoshita to Hashiba. In 1585 he was appointed imperial regent (kampaku); in 1587 he was appointed grand minister of state (dajo daijin) and was given the family name Toyotomi. Hideyoshi is popularly known as taiko, the honorary title for a retired kampaku.

Early Years—Hideyoshi was born in 1537 (some scholars say 1536) at Nakamura in Owari Province (now part of Aichi Prefecture), the son of Kinoshita Yaemon, a foot soldier (ashigaru) in the service of Oda Nobuhide (1510–51), father of Nobunaga. In 1558 Hideyoshi presented himself to Nobunaga, who quickly took a liking to him and nicknamed him Saru (“Monkey”). At the time, in the struggle for military hegemony, the army of Imagawa Yoshimoto, lord of the provinces of Mikawa (now part of Aichi Prefecture), Totomi, and Suruga (the latter two both now part of Shizuoka Prefecture), was advancing on Kyoto. But in his path lay the lands of Nobunaga, who defeated him in the Battle of Okehazama in 1560. By mid-1573 Nobunaga was firmly established in central Honshu, having destroyed his brother-in-law Asai Nagamasa (one of whose daughters, Yodogimi, was to become Hideyoshi's favorite concubine) and his erstwhile ally Asakura Yoshikage. The Asai lands in Omi Province (now Shiga Prefecture) were given to Hideyoshi.

General under Oda Nobunaga (1574–1582)—In 1575 Nobunaga was defeated in a naval battle in the bay of Osaka by the combined forces of Mori Terumoto (1553–1625) and the temple-fortress Ishiyama Honganji. Nobunaga retaliated by dispatching two armies, one led by Hideyoshi, in a pincer movement aimed at subduing the Mori home base in western Honshu. Hideyoshi took the strategic castle of Himeyama (later Himeji, in Harima Province; now part of Hyogo Prefecture) in 1577. In 1581 he took the fortress of Tottori in Inaba Province (now part of Tottori Prefecture); a year later he took Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu Province (now part of Okayama Prefecture) by employing the novel tactic of flooding (mizuzeme; see Shimizu Muneharu).

Taking the Reins of Power (1582–1588)—After Nobunaga was treacherously eliminated at the temple Honnoji in Kyoto by Akechi Mitsuhide (see Honnoji Incident), Hideyoshi defeated Mitsuhide in the Battle of Yamazaki on 2 July 1582. Hideyoshi at 45 was master of the provinces of Omi, Harima, Yamashiro, Tamba (the last two now part of Kyoto Prefecture), and Kawachi (now part of Osaka Prefecture). Then, by defeating Shibata Katsuie at Shizugatake, he annexed Echizen, Kaga, and Noto (now Fukui and part of Ishikawa prefectures), and Etchu (now Toyama Prefecture). In 1584, after the Komaki Nagakute Campaign, he arrived at a settlement with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had supported Oda Nobukatsu (1558–1630), Nobunaga's son. He then subdued all of Kii Province (now Wakayama Prefecture) and destroyed the organization (Ikko ikki) of the Jodo Shin sect of Saiga in that province. He proceeded to conquer the Chosokabe family of Shikoku. By the end of 1585 Hideyoshi, newly appointed kampaku, or imperial regent, could lay claim to all civil and military powers by delegation of the emperor. In 1587 Hideyoshi extended his power in Kyushu, thwarting the ambitions of the Shimazu family.

On 23 July 1587 Hideyoshi issued an 11-point edict denouncing Christianity and prohibiting forced conversion. The following day he presented the Edict of Expulsion to the Jesuit missionaries (see anti-Christian edicts). In 1588 all the daimyo pledged obedience to the emperor and his regent, Hideyoshi. In the same year Hideyoshi carried out his famous sword hunt. This reduced the likelihood of armed rebellion and separated the peasantry from the warrior class.

The Kanto Campaign (1590–1591)—Hideyoshi's conquest of the northeast remained barred by the Later Hojo family (see Hojo family), who occupied the Kanto region. Hideyoshi was able to destroy the allies of the Hojo and besiege Odawara Castle (see Odawara Campaign). Odawara capitulated on 12 August 1590 and the Kanto provinces were reorganized. In order to remove Ieyasu from central Japan, Hideyoshi gave him six Kanto provinces in exchange for his former holdings in Mikawa, Totomi, and Suruga. In 1591 Hideyoshi crushed all resistance in the far north of Honshu. The military reunification of Japan was now complete; all territory belonged to Hideyoshi or to his vassals, and a new feudal hierarchy had been established.

Invasions of Korea (1592, 1597)—Once master of Japan, Hideyoshi in 1592 launched his first expedition to conquer Korea, which ended in a draw. The second expedition, in 1597, was abandoned with Hideyoshi's death in 1598. See invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597.

Final Years—In his last years, especially after 1593, Hideyoshi seemed almost to have lost touch with the reality around him. Two years earlier his son Tsurumatsu had died, and Hideyoshi had nominated his nephew Toyotomi Hidetsugu as his heir. After he had another son, Toyotomi Hideyori, he became convinced that Hidetsugu was plotting against him and ordered Hidetsugu to commit suicide. Anxious for the future of Hideyori, now his successor, he created a council of Five Great Elders (Gotairo) and made them swear allegiance to Hideyori. He also became increasingly fearful of Western interference in Japan's internal affairs, especially after the Spanish ship San Felipe was shipwrecked on the Japanese coast in 1596 (see San Felipe Incident). Further irritated by the continuous bickering between the Jesuits and the Franciscans, Hideyoshi sentenced 26 Christians to death—the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Nagasaki. Hideyoshi fell ill in the summer of 1598 and died on 18 September 1598. His private letters show him to have been open and affectionate, genial, and impatient with formality. Unfortunately, his insatiable thirst for power cast a shadow of terror during the last years of his life.