Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi
豊臣 秀吉
Chief Advisor to the Emperor
(Kampaku)
In office
August 6, 1585 – February 10, 1592
Monarchs
Preceded byNijō Akizane
Succeeded byToyotomi Hidetsugu
Chancellor of the Realm
(Daijō Daijin)
In office
February 2, 1586 – September 18, 1598
MonarchGo-Yōzei
Preceded byKonoe Sakihisa
Succeeded byTokugawa Ieyasu
Head of Toyotomi clan
In office
1584–1598
Succeeded byToyotomi Hideyori
Personal details
Born
Hiyoshi-maru (日吉丸)

March 27, 1537
Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Owari Province
DiedSeptember 18, 1598(1598-09-18) (aged 61)
Fushimi Castle, Kyoto, Japan
Spouses
Domestic partnerKaihime (concubine)
Children
Parents
Relatives
ReligionShinto; Buddhism
Other names
  • Kinoshita Tōkichirō (木下 藤吉郎)
  • Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴 秀吉)
Divine nameToyokuni Daimyōjin (豊国大明神)
Posthumous
dharma name
Kokutai-yūshō-in-den Reizan Shunryū Daikoji (国泰祐松院殿霊山俊龍大居士)
Signature
Nickname(s)"Kozaru" (little monkey)
"Saru" (monkey)
"Toyokuni daimyōjin"
Military service
Allegiance
RankDaimyō, Kampaku, Daijō-daijin
UnitToyotomi clan
CommandsOsaka Castle
Battles/warsSiege of Inabayama
Siege of Kanegasaki
Battle of Anegawa
Siege of Nagashima
Battle of Ichijodani
Siege of Itami
Battle of Nagashino
Siege of Mitsuji
Battle of Tedorigawa
Siege of Miki
Siege of Tottori
Siege of Takamatsu
Battle of Yamazaki
Battle of Shizugatake
Battle of Komaki and Nagakute
Negoro-ji Campaign
Toyama Campaign
Kyūshū campaign
Odawara Campaign
Korean Campaign
See below
Japanese name
Shinjitai豊臣 秀吉
Kyūjitai豐臣 秀吉
Kanaとよとみ ひでよし or とよとみ の ひでよし
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnToyotomi Hideyoshi or Toyotomi no Hideyoshi
Toyotomi clan mon (Japanese emblem)

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉, 17 March 1537 – 18 September 1598), otherwise known as Kinoshita Tōkichirō (木下 藤吉郎) and Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴 秀吉), was a Japanese samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.[1][2] Although he came from a peasant background, his immense power earned him the rank and title of Kampaku (関白, Imperial Regent) and Daijō-daijin (太政大臣, Chancellor of the Realm), the highest official position and title in the nobility class. He was the first person in history to become a Kampaku who was not born a noble. He then passed the position and title of Kampaku to his nephew, Toyotomi Hidetsugu. He remained in power as Taikō (太閤), the title of retired Kampaku, until his death. It is believed, but not certain, that the reason he refused or could not obtain the title of shogun (征夷大将軍), the leader of the warrior class, was because he was of peasant origin.[3][4]

Hideyoshi rose from a peasant background as a retainer of the prominent lord Oda Nobunaga to become one of the most powerful men in Japanese history. Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga after the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582 and continued Nobunaga's campaign to unite Japan that led to the closing of the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi became the de facto leader of Japan and acquired the prestigious positions of daijō-daijin and kampaku by the mid-1580s. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592 to initial success, but eventual military stalemate damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. Hideyoshi's young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori was displaced by Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 which would lead to the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Hideyoshi's rule covers most of the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japan, partially named after his castle, Momoyama Castle. Hideyoshi left an influential and lasting legacy in Japan, including Osaka Castle, the Tokugawa class system, the restriction on the possession of weapons to the samurai, and the construction and restoration of many temples, some of which are still visible in Kyoto.

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ōmi" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 993–994, p. 993, at Google Books
  2. ^ Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Course of History, Viking Press 1988. p. 68.
  3. ^ 豊臣秀吉はなぜ「征夷大将軍」ではなく「関白」になったのか――秀吉をめぐる「三つのなぜ」 (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. 24 September 2023. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ 秀吉はなぜ征夷大将軍ではなく、関白を選んだか (in Japanese). Nikkei Business. 14 January 2017. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.