57 Facts About Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi born as Hiyoshi-maru, later called Kinoshita Tokichiro and Hashiba Hideyoshi, was a Japanese samurai and daimyo of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose from a peasant background as a retainer of the prominent lord Oda Nobunaga to become one of the most powerful men in Japan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga after the Honno-ji Incident in 1582 and continued Nobunaga's campaign to unite Japan that led to the closing of the Sengoku period.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the de facto leader of Japan and acquired the prestigious positions of Chancellor of the Realm and Imperial Regent by the mid-1580s.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592 to initial success, but eventual military stalemate damaged his prestige before his death in 1598.

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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.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's rule covers most of the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japan, partially named after his castle, Momoyama Castle.

Toyotomi 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.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's autobiography starts in 1577, but in it, Hideyoshi spoke very little about his past.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had no traceable samurai lineage, and his father Kinoshita Yaemon was an ashigaru – a peasant employed by the samurai as a foot soldier.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had no surname, and his childhood given name was Hiyoshi-maru although variations exist.

Many legends describe Toyotomi Hideyoshi being sent to study at a temple as a young man, but he rejected temple life and went in search of adventure.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi traveled all the way to the lands of Imagawa Yoshimoto, the daimyo based in Suruga Province, and served there for a time, only to abscond with a sum of money entrusted to him by Matsushita Yukitsuna.

In 1558, Toyotomi Hideyoshi became an ashigaru for the powerful Oda clan, the rulers of his home province of Owari, now headed by the ambitious Oda Nobunaga.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi soon became Nobunaga's sandal-bearer, a position of relatively high status.

In 1561, Toyotomi Hideyoshi married One, the adopted daughter of Asano Nagakatsu, a descendant of Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi carried out repairs on Sunomata Castle with his younger half-brother, Hashiba Koichiro, along with Hachisuka Masakatsu, and Maeno Nagayasu.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's efforts were well-received because Sunomata was in enemy territory, and according to legend Toyotomi Hideyoshi constructed a fort in Sunomata overnight and discovered a secret route into Mount Inaba, after which much of the local garrison surrendered.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi managed to convince, mostly with liberal bribes, a number of Mino warlords to desert the Saito clan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi approached many Saito clan samurai and convinced them to submit to Nobunaga, including the Saito clan's strategist, Takenaka Shigeharu.

In 1570, Toyotomi Hideyoshi protected Nobunaga's retreat from Azai-Asakura forces at Kanegasaki.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi later moved to the port at Imahama on Lake Biwa, where he began work on Imahama Castle and took control of the nearby Kunitomo firearms factory that had been established some years previously by the Azai and Asakura.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi then fought in the Battle of Tedorigawa, the siege of Miki, the siege of Tottori and Siege of Takamatsu .

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, seeking vengeance for the death of his lord, made peace with the Mori clan and thirteen days later met Mitsuhide and defeated him at the Battle of Yamazaki, avenging his lord and taking Nobunaga's authority and power for himself.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi summoned the powerful daimyo to Kiyosu Castle so that they could determine Nobunaga's heir.

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Toyotomi Hideyoshi distributed Nobunaga's provinces among the generals and formed a council of four generals to help him govern.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had thus consolidated his own power, dealt with most of the Oda clan, and controlled 30 provinces.

Finally, Toyotomi Hideyoshi made peace with Nobukatsu, ending the pretext for war between the Tokugawa and Hashiba clans.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent Tokugawa Ieyasu his younger sister Asahi no kata and mother Omandokoro as hostages.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a lavish palace, the Jurakudai, in 1587, and entertained the reigning Emperor, Emperor Go-Yozei, the following year.

The complex was set aflame, beginning with the residences of the priests, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's samurai cut down monks as they escaped the blazing buildings.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was allowed to keep Tosa Province, while the rest of Shikoku was divided among Hideyoshi's generals.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi dispatched Kanamori Nagachika to destroy the Anegakoji clan of Hida and he carried out the siege of Toyama Castle.

In 1586 Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered Kyushu, wresting control from the Shimazu clan.

Meanwhile, Toyotomi Hideyoshi took his own forces down a more westerly route, in Chikuzen Province.

Later in 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi banished Christian missionaries from Kyushu, to exert greater control over the Kirishitan daimyo.

In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi forbade ordinary peasants from owning weapons and started a sword hunt to confiscate arms.

In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi carried out the Odawara Campaign against the Hojo clan in the Kanto region.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had been communicating with the Koreans since 1587 requesting unmolested passage into China.

In only four months, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces had a route into Manchuria and occupied much of Korea.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was delirious, with Sansom asserting that he was babbling of the distribution of fiefs.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi held the generals in contempt, and they sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed construction of the Osaka Castle, the largest and most formidable in all Japan, to guard the western approaches to Kyoto.

In that same year, Toyotomi Hideyoshi banned "unfree labour" or slavery in Japan, but forms of contract and indentured labour persisted alongside the period penal codes' forced labour.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi lavished time and money on the Japanese tea ceremony, collecting implements, sponsoring lavish social events, and patronizing acclaimed masters.

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Just before his death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi hoped to set up a system stable enough to survive until his son grew old enough to become the next leader.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi is commemorated at several Toyokuni Shrines scattered over Japan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's surname remained Hashiba even as he was granted the new Uji or sei Toyotomi by the Emperor.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had been given the nickname Kozaru, meaning "little monkey", from his lord Oda Nobunaga, because his facial features and skinny form resembled that of a monkey.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi is depicted by Eiji Yoshikawa in the novel series Taiko Ki.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi appeared in the famous Shinobi No-Mono series with Raizo Ichikawa.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi sends Shiranui Shogen to an Iga ninja clan in search of the Momochi clan's hidden gold.

Nioh 2 later reveals that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is an identity shared by two individuals, the player character Hide and an ambitious merchant-warrior Kinoshita Tokichiro, and that Tokichiro's crimes when he usurped the identity of Hideyoshi for himself was in fact committed by the antagonist Kashin Koji possessing his body.

In Samurai Warriors 5, Toyotomi Hideyoshi wields the naginata as his main weapon, and he has more stages about his campaign against the Mori clan while still serving the Oda clan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi is armed only with gauntlets, is large in physique, and is so strong that he can deflect a hail of arrows with a wave of his hand and drain a part of the Seto Inland Sea to defeat Chosokabe Motochika.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was originally meant to succeed Nobunaga in unifying Japan and become the Imperial Regent, remains a vassal of the Oda clan; Makoto meets Toyotomi Hideyoshi when Nobunaga introduces Makoto to his vassals.

All the major historical events surrounding Toyotomi Hideyoshi, from ruling Japan as its de facto ruler to starting the Japanese invasion of Korea, are avoided.