Toyotomi Hideyoshi

File:Hideyoshi.jpg

Hideyoshi in old age.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉, original surnames Kinoshita 木下 and Hashiba 羽柴; 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 his invasion 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

100 Aspects of the Moon #7, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: "Inaba Mountain Moon" The young Toyotomi Hideyoshi leads a small group assaulting the castle on Inaba Mountain; 1885, 12th month

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 cut 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 Shigenaru, and later the siege of Takamatsu Castle.

After the sudden deaths 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.

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Jigsaw globe; the Toyotomi crest, now the symbol of Osaka Prefecture

On the other hand, Hashiba wanted the title of shogun, because it was then considered the title of the practical ruler of Japan. However, the emperor was unable to grant such a title to someone of Hideyoshi's lowly origins. Hashiba then wanted 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 1596, Hashiba was formally given the name Toyotomi by the imperial court.

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 after that, Toyotomi resigned in 1591 as kampaku to take the title of taiko (retired regent). His adopted son, Hidetsugu (actually his nephew) succeeded him as kampaku.

Before seizing control of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi employed a friendly diplomatic stance towards the Ming Dynasty and helped the Chinese government combat Japanese piracy (wakō) along the coasts of the Yellow Sea, South China Sea and Taiwan. With his control of the country secured, he launched the Seven-Year War to invade Korea. On April 1592, his generals invaded Busan, a major Korean port. Within a month, the Japanese forces were able to reach Seoul. However, the Korean Army, bolstered by the Korean Irregular Army and aided by the forces of the Ming dynasty, launched a successful counteroffensive. Nearly a third of Japan's army of 150,000 died in the winter of 1592 alone, but they were able to raze parts of Seoul in 1593. The Korean Navy, led by Admiral Yi Sunshin, crushed the Japanese Navy in the Battle of Sacheon (1592) and the Battle of Hansan and effectively cut off the Japanese supply route. The Japanese army was forced to withdraw from Korea on December, 1592.

After a few attempts at reaching a diplomatic consensus with Korea and the Ming, Toyotomi again attempted to invade Korea in 1596. This second offensive was termed the Jeongyu Jaeran by the Koreans and Battle of Keicho by the Japanese. This time, the Japanese encountered a well-prepared joint defence by the Koreans and Chinese. During the Battle of Myeongnyang Strait, Admiral Yi Sun Shin destroyed the 133-ship Japanese fleet with just 12 ships, effectively disabling the Japanese navy. On August, 1597, the Japanese army was defeated by a large Korean and Ming force and was forced to retreat south through Gyeongsang. Frustrated, Toyotomi ordered his generals to kill all who resisted Japanese troops - including women and children - and to cut off and pickle their noses, which Toyotomi collected by the tens of thousands in a large pile known today by the misnomer "Mound of Ears", located next to his mausoleum, the Hokoku-byo Mausoleum in the Hokoku Shrine in Kyoto. The invasions of Korea created a legacy of mutual bitterness between Korea and Japan.

In 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died and the Japanese forces in Korea were effectively destroyed. After Hideyoshi's death, the Council of Five Regents immediately decided to withdraw the Japanese army. Admiral Yi Sun-shin pursued the retreating Japanese navy, and in the Battle of Noryang Point, more than 300 of 500 Japanese ships were sunk. This futile war only served to weaken the clans that were loyal to the Toyotomi name and clan. Following Toyotomi's death, the other members of the Council of Five Regents could not 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

Osaka Castle reconstructed after World War Two

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.

Toyokuni Shrine (Kyoto), dedicated to Hideyoshi

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.

In the Korean drama The Immortal Yi Sun Shin, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is portrayed as an imperialist.

Popular culture

Being the subject of much fiction and speculation, Toyotomi's life is also frequently used as a source of inspiration in fictional works, films, and video games.

Toyotomi's stereotypical, monkey-like appearance, for example, is used in Capcom's Onimusha, and he is portrayed in the popular video game as a sneaky and cunning character.

In January 2006, Capcom's released one of it's popular console franchise ever: The Fourth Onimusha Saga: Shin Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, Toyotomi was depicted as the new leader of the evil Genma (Demon) Clan , followed by the death of his predecessor- Oda Nobunaga (portrayed here as the Evil Genma Lord) in the end of previous saga: Onimusha 3: Demon's Siege

In Koei's Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends, Hashiba Hideyoshi is a powerful monkey-like character wielding a three-segment staff.

Toyotomi's life and struggles also inspired the popular video game series by Koei, Taikou Risshiden.

In Visco Games' arcade shoot-em-up Vasara 2, Toyotomi (as Hashiba Hideyoshi) is an enemy boss who guards the stage just before Oda Nobunaga's. He appears and attacks the heroes in a gigantic chimpanzee-like robot with extremely long arms.

As Messier Undertree, Toyotomi appears in Cantos LVI and LVIII of 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.

Further reading

• Eiji Yoshikawa: Taiko (historical fiction). Kodansha International (Japan), 2001, ISBN 4770026099

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)