Toyotomi Hideyoshi
The peasant-born foot soldier who rose to Kampaku and finished unifying Sengoku Japan.
via Wikipedia: Toyotomi Hideyoshi · see source
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a samurai and daimyō of the late Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods, remembered as the second Great Unifier of Japan. His father was an ashigaru, a peasant who fought on foot for samurai, and Hideyoshi carried no surname in his youth. Even so, he climbed to the highest post in the nobility and became the first person of common birth ever to hold the title of Kampaku. His conquests brought the Sengoku period to a close, and his reforms, castles and temples shaped the country that the Tokugawa later ruled.
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- "Kozaru" (little monkey)
- "Saru" (monkey)
- "Toyokuni daimyōjin"
- Order
- Chief Advisor to the Emperor (Kampaku)
- Took office
- 6 August 1585
- Left office
- 10 February 1592
- Monarch
- Ōgimachi; Go-Yōzei
- Predecessor
- Nijō Akizane
- Successor
- Toyotomi Hidetsugu
Facts from the source article.
Background
Tradition places his birth in 1537 at Nakamura in Owari Province, now part of Nagoya. His father, Kinoshita Yaemon, died in 1543. In 1558 Hideyoshi joined the Oda clan as a foot soldier and soon became sandal-bearer to Oda Nobunaga. He married One in 1561, won over Mino warlords with bribes in 1564, and helped secure the siege of Inabayama Castle in 1567. Rewarded with lands in northern Ōmi Province in 1573, he renamed Kunitomo as Nagahama and expanded its gun factory. When Nobunaga died in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582, Hideyoshi made peace with the Mōri clan and defeated the assassin Akechi Mitsuhide at the Battle of Yamazaki, claiming his lord's power for himself.
Did You Know?
- Construction of Osaka Castle began in 1582 and ended in 1597.
- He met and beat Akechi Mitsuhide thirteen days after making peace with the Mōri.
- Legend says he built a fort at Sunomata in a single night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Hideyoshi called a Great Unifier?
He continued the campaigns of Oda Nobunaga and completed the unification of Japan, ending the Sengoku period.
What was his background?
He came from a peasant family; his father Kinoshita Yaemon was an ashigaru, and a contemporary noted that Hideyoshi had even begged on the street.
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