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Toyotomi Hideyoshi, il grande unificatore del Giappone

scritto da: SaiKaiAngel

photo credits: ancient-origins.net

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (17 marzo 1537 – 18 settembre 1598) era un samurai, nonchè daimyō, successore di Oda Nobunaga come “grande unificatore” del Giappone, ponendo fine al periodo Sengoku. Il periodo del suo dominio è chiamato Momoyama, dal nome del castello di Hideyoshi. Sembra che la sua nascita fu nella provincia di Owari, la casa del clan Oda (l’attuale Nagoya nella prefettura di Aichi). Figlio di un contadino-ashigaru di nome Yaemon. Sembra che il suo nome d’infanzia fosse Hiyoshi-maru. Suo padre morì quando Hideyoshi aveva 7 anni.

Hideyoshi fu mandato a studiare in un tempio da giovane, ma rifiutò quella vita per andare a caccia di avventure. Sotto il nome Kinoshita Tōkichirō si unì per la prima volta al clan Imagawa come servitore di un sovrano locale di nome Matsushita Yukitsuna. Ha viaggiato fino alle terre di Imagawa Yoshimoto, daimyō della provincia di Suruga, e lo ha servito solo per fuggire con una somma di denaro affidatagli da Matsushita Yukitsuna.

photo credits: samurai-world.com

Il giovane Toyotomi Hideyoshi guidò un piccolo gruppo per attaccare il castello sul monte Inaba e nel 1558, si unì al clan Oda, guidato da Oda Nobunaga, come ashigaru (lett. “piedi leggeri”che furono impiegati nei conflitti del Giappone feudale dalla casta dei samurai.)
Divenne uno dei portatori di sandali di Nobunaga ed era presente nella battaglia di Okehazama nel 1560 quando Nobunaga sconfisse Imagawa Yoshimoto per diventare uno dei più potenti signori della guerra nel periodo Sengoku. Sembra anche che abbia supervisionato la riparazione del castello di Kiyosu gestendone la cucina.

Nel 1561 Hideyoshi sposò la figlia adottiva di Asano Nagakatsu. Ha effettuato riparazioni sul castello di Sunomata con suo fratello minore Toyotomi Hidenaga, Hachisuka Masakatsu e Maeno Nagayasu. Costruì un forte a Sunomata, di notte scoprendo anche una via segreta verso il Monte Inaba

Assedio al castello di Inabayama

Hideyoshi ebbe molto successo come negoziatore. Nel 1564, riuscì a convincere i signori della guerra Mino a disertare il clan Saitō. Hideyoshi si avvicinò a molti samurai convincendoli a sottomettersi a Nobunaga.

La facile vittoria di Nobunaga al castello di Inabayama nel 1567 fu in gran parte dovuta agli sforzi di Hideyoshi per questo divenne uno dei generali più illustri di Nobunaga, alla fine prendendo il nome di Hashiba Hideyoshi. Il nuovo cognome includeva due personaggi, uno ciascuno degli altri due uomini di Oda, Niwa Nagahide e Shibata Katsuie.

Battaglia di Anegawa

Hideyoshi guidò le truppe nella battaglia di Anegawa nel 1570 in cui Oda Nobunaga si alleò con Tokugawa Ieyasu per assediare due fortezze dei clan Azai e Asakura. Partecipò all’assedio di Nagashima nel 1573 e nello stesso anno, Nobunaga nominò Hideyoshi daimyō di tre distretti nella parte settentrionale della Provincia di Ōmi. Hideyoshi si trasferì a Kunitomo e ribattezzò la città di Nagahama in omaggio a Nobunaga. In seguito Hideyoshi si trasferì nel porto di Imahama sul lago Biwa e prese il controllo della vicina fabbrica di armi da fuoco Kunitomo che era stata istituita alcuni anni prima dagli Azai e dagli Asakura facendo aumentare la sua produzione.
Inoltre, ha combattuto nella battaglia di Nagashino dopodichè Nobunaga mandò Hideyoshi al castello di Himeji per conquistare la regione di Chūgoku dal clan Mori nel 1576.

Nel 1577, combattè nella battaglia di Tedorigawa, nell’assedio di Miki, nell’assedio di Itami (1579) e nell’assedio di Takamatsu del 1582.

Battaglia di Yamazaki e conflitto con Katsuie

Dopo gli omicidi di Honnō-ji di Oda Nobunaga e del suo figlio maggiore Nobutada nel 1582 per mano di Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, in cerca di vendetta per la morte del suo amato signore, fece pace con il clan Mōri e sconfisse Akechi nella battaglia di Yamazaki .

Successivamente, essendo in una buona posizione, chiamò il potente daimyo a Kiyosu in modo che potessero determinare l’erede di Nobunaga. Oda Nobukatsu e Oda Nobutaka litigarono, quindi l’erede divenne Samboshi, nipote di Nobunaga. Avendo conquistato il sostegno degli altri due anziani di Oda, Niwa Nagahide e Ikeda Tsuneoki, Hideyoshi prese la posizione di Hidenobu e la sua influenza sul clan Oda. Distribuì le province di Nobunaga tra i generali e formò un consiglio di quattro generali. La tensione tra Hideyoshi e Katsuie sfociò nella battaglia di Shizugatake dell’anno successivo in cui Hideyoshi distrusse le forze di Katsuie. A quel punto Hideyoshi aveva affrontato la maggior parte del clan Oda e il controllo di 30 province.

Costruzione del castello di Osaka

Nel 1582, Hideyoshi iniziò la costruzione del castello di Osaka sul sito del tempio Ishiyama Hongan-ji distrutto da Nobunaga; questo divenne l’ultima roccaforte del clan Toyotomi dopo la morte di Hideyoshi.

Battaglia di Komaki e Nagakute

Oda Nobukatsu, ostile a Hideyoshi, si alleò con Tokugawa Ieyasu e le due parti combatterono nella battaglia di Komaki e Nagakute. Alla fine risultò in una situazione di stallo, anche se le forze di Hideyoshi subirono un duro colpo. Infine, Hideyoshi fece pace con Nobukatsu, ponendo fine al pretesto per la guerra tra i clan Tokugawa e Hashiba. Ieyasu alla fine accettò di diventare un vassallo di Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi non ha mai ottenuto il titolo di shōgun, ma fece in modo di farsi adottare da Konoe Sakihisa, uno degli uomini più nobili appartenenti al clan Fujiwara e assicurò una successione di titoli di alta corte tra cui, nel 1585, la prestigiosa posizione di Imperial Regent (kampaku). Nel 1586, Hideyoshi ricevette ufficialmente il nome del nuovo clan Toyotomi dalla corte imperiale e costruì, il Jurakudai, un sontuoso palazzo, nel 1587 intrqattenendo l’imperatore regnante, Go-Yōzei, l’anno successivo.

Giappone unificato sotto Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Successivamente, Hideyoshi soggiogò la provincia di Kii e conquistò Shikoku sotto il clan Chōsokabe. Assunse poi il controllo della provincia di Etchū conquistando anche Kyūshū.
Nel 1587 Hideyoshi bandì i missionari cristiani da Kyūshū per esercitare un maggiore controllo sui daimyōs Kirishitani.

Nel 1588 proibì ai comuni contadini di possedere armi e iniziò a confiscarle. Le spade furono fuse per creare una statua del Buddha. Questa misura fermò efficacemente le rivolte dei contadini e assicurò una maggiore stabilità a spese della libertà dei singoli.

Assedio di Odawara

L’assedio di Odawara del 1590 contro il clan Hōjō nella regione di Kantō eliminò l’ultima resistenza all’autorità di Hideyoshi. La sua vittoria significò la fine del periodo Sengoku. Durante questo assedio, Hideyoshi offrì a Ieyasu le otto province governate da Hōjō nella regione di Kantō in cambio della sottomissione delle cinque province di Ieyasu che accettò questa proposta.

Nel febbraio del 1591, Hideyoshi ordinò a Sen no Rikyū di suicidarsi, probabilmente in uno dei suoi scoppi d’ira. Rikyū era stato un fidato sostenitore e maestro della cerimonia del tè sotto Hideyoshi e Nobunaga apportò inoltre cambiamenti significativi all’estetica della cerimonia del tè che ebbe un’influenza duratura su molti aspetti della cultura giapponese. Anche dopo la morte di Rikyū, si dice che Hideyoshi abbia costruito i suoi numerosi progetti di costruzione basati sull’estetica promossa da Rikyū, forse suggerendo che si pentì delle sue azioni.

Dopo la morte di Rikyū, Hideyoshi portò la cerimonia del tè a Noh, che aveva studiato da quando era diventato reggente imperiale.
La stabilità della dinastia Toyotomi dopo la morte di Hideyoshi fu messa in dubbio con la morte di suo figlio Tsurumatsu nel settembre del 1591. Il bambino di tre anni era il suo unico figlio. Quando il suo fratellastro Hidenaga morì poco dopo, Hideyoshi nominò suo nipote Hidetsugu suo erede, adottandolo nel gennaio del 1592. Hideyoshi si dimise come kampaku per ottenere il titolo di taikō e Hidetsugu gli successe come kampaku.

Houkokubyo (Mausoleo di Toyotomi Hideyoshi) Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto

Nel momento in cui la sua salute cominciava a vacillare, Hideyoshi ha portato avanti il sogno di Oda Nobunaga, quello di una conquista giapponese fino alla Cina, arrivando alla dinastia Ming attraverso la Corea.
Hideyoshi chiese ai coreani un passaggio per la Cina nel 1587, ma ottenne un rifiuto, perchè la Corea era alleata con la Cina e nell’aprile e luglio del 1591 rifiutò anche la richiesta di passaggio attraverso la Corea per paura di mettere a rischio la sicurezza. Quindi, nell’agosto del 1591, Hideyoshi ordinò che iniziassero i preparativi per un’invasione della Corea.

photo credits: flickr.com

Prima campagna contro la Corea

Nella prima campagna, Hideyoshi nominò Ukita Hideie come maresciallo e lo fece entrare nella penisola coreana nell’aprile del 1592. Konishi Yukinaga a quel punto occupò Seoul il 19 giugno. Dopo la caduta di Seoul , I comandanti giapponesi hanno tenuto un consiglio di guerra e hanno determinato obiettivi di sottomissione chiamati Hachidokuniwari da ciascun corpo. In soli quattro mesi, le forze di Hideyoshi fecero rotta verso la Manciuria e occuparono gran parte della Corea. Il re coreano Seonjo fuggì a Uiju e chiese l’intervento militare dalla Cina. Nel 1593, l’imperatore Wanli di Ming China inviò un esercito sotto il generale Li Rusong per bloccare la prevista invasione giapponese della Cina e riconquistare la penisola coreana. L’esercito Ming di 43.000 soldati guidati da Li Ru-Song ha continuato ad attaccare Pyongyang.

Il 7 gennaio 1593, le forze di soccorso di Ming sotto Li catturarono ancora Pyongyang e circondarono Seoul, ma Kobayakawa Takakage, Ukita Hideie, Tachibana Muneshige e Kikkawa Hiroie vinsero la Battaglia di Byeokjegwan nella periferia di Seoul. Alla fine della prima campagna, l’intera marina giapponese fu distrutta dall’ammiraglio Yi Sun-sin della Corea, la cui base era situata in una parte della Corea che i giapponesi non potevano controllare. Questo, in effetti, mise fine al sogno del Giappone di conquistare la Cina poiché i coreani semplicemente distrussero la capacità del Giappone di rifornire nuovamente le loro truppe impantanate a Pyongyang.

Disputa di successione

La nascita del secondo figlio di Hideyoshi nel 1593, Hideyori, creò un problema di successione. Per evitarlo, Hideyoshi esiliò suo nipote ed erede Hidetsugu sul Monte Kōya e poi gli ordinò di suicidarsi nell’agosto del 1595. I membri della famiglia di Hidetsugu che non seguirono il suo esempio furono poi assassinati a Kyoto.

Nel gennaio del 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi fece arrestare ventisei cristiani come esempio di giapponesi che volevano convertirsi al cristianesimo. Sono conosciuti come i ventisei martiri del Giappone. Includevano cinque missionari francescani europei, un missionario francescano messicano, tre gesuiti giapponesi e diciassette laici giapponesi, tra cui tre giovani ragazzi. Il 5 febbraio furono giustiziati a Nagasaki per crocifissione pubblica.

Seconda campagna contro la Corea

Dopo diversi anni di trattative Hideyoshi nominò Kobayakawa Hideaki per condurre una rinnovata invasione della Corea, ma i loro sforzi sulla penisola ottennero meno successo. Le truppe giapponesi rimasero bloccate nella provincia di Gyeongsang. Nel giugno del 1598, le forze giapponesi respinsero diverse offensive cinesi a Suncheon e Sacheon, ma non furono in grado di compiere ulteriori progressi mentre l’esercito Ming si preparava per un assalto finale. I coreani hanno continuamente molestato le forze giapponesi, mentre la battaglia di Hideyoshi a Sacheon fu una grande vittoria del Giappone.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi morì il 18 settembre 1598. Era delirante e le sue ultime parole, consegnate ai suoi generali più vicini, furono “Dipenderò da voi per tutto. Non ho altri pensieri da lasciare alle spalle. È triste separarsi da voi ”. La sua morte è stata tenuta segreta dal Consiglio dei Cinque Anziani per preservare il morale e alle forze giapponesi in Corea è stato ordinato di ritirarsi in Giappone dal Consiglio dei Cinque Anziani (Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie , Uesugi Kakekatsu, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideie).

Visto che non erano riuscite a catturare la Corea, le forze di Hideyoshi non furono in grado nemmeno di raggiungere la Cina. La forza di combattimento si esaurì, i suoi vassalli in contrasto sulla responsabilità per il fallimento e i clan che erano fedeli al nome Toyotomi si indebolirono. Il sogno di una conquista giapponese della Cina è stato messo in attesa indefinitamente. Il governo Tokugawa in seguito non solo proibì ulteriori spedizioni militari nella terraferma asiatica, ma chiuse il Giappone a quasi tutti gli stranieri durante gli anni dello shogunato di Tokugawa. Fu solo alla fine del 19° secolo che il Giappone combatté di nuovo una guerra contro la Cina attraverso la Corea, usando più o meno lo stesso percorso usato dalla forza di Hideyoshi.

Dopo la sua morte, gli altri membri del Consiglio dei cinque reggenti non furono in grado di tenere sotto controllo le ambizioni di Tokugawa Ieyasu.

photo credits: jekyoto.wordpress.com

L’eredità culturale di Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi ha cambiato la società giapponese in molti modi.

Le riforme di classe hanno interessato cittadini e guerrieri. Durante il periodo Sengoku, era diventato comune che i contadini diventassero guerrieri o che i samurai coltivassero a causa della costante incertezza causata dalla mancanza di governo centralizzato e da una pace sempre provvisoria. Dopo aver preso il controllo, Hideyoshi decretò che tutti i contadini fossero completamente disarmati e che i samurai lasciassero la terra per stabilirsi nelle città del castello. Ciò ha rafforzato il sistema di classi sociali per i successivi 300 anni.

Inoltre, ha ordinato un censimento completo del Giappone. Dopo questo, chiese a tutti i giapponesi di rimanere nei rispettivi han (feudi) a meno che non avessero ottenuto il permesso ufficiale di andare altrove.

Nel 1590, Hideyoshi completò la costruzione del Castello di Osaka, il più grande di tutto il Giappone, per proteggere gli approcci occidentali a Kyoto. Nello stesso anno, vietò il “lavoro non libero” e la schiavitù, ma le forme di contratto e di lavoro forzato andarono avanti ugualmente.

Hideyoshi ha anche influenzato la cultura materiale del Giappone. Ha speso tempo e denaro per la cerimonia del tè, collezionando strumenti, sponsorizzando sontuosi eventi sociali e patrocinando acclamati maestri. Man mano che l’interesse per la cerimonia del tè cresceva tra la classe dirigente, non solo furono confiscate grandi quantità di preziosi articoli in ceramica, ma molti artigiani coreani furono trasferiti con la forza in Giappone.

Ispirato all’abbagliante padiglione d’oro di Kyoto, fece costruire la Golden Tea Room, che era coperta con una foglia d’oro e foderata all’interno con un gossamer rosso. Usando questa innovazione mobile, è stato in grado di praticare la cerimonia del tè ovunque andasse, proiettando con forza il suo potere e lo status senza pari al suo arrivo.

Politicamente, ha istituito un sistema governativo che ha bilanciato i più potenti signori della guerra giapponesi. Fu creato un consiglio per includere i signori più influenti.

Poco prima della sua morte, Hideyoshi sperava di istituire un sistema abbastanza stabile per sopravvivere fino a quando suo figlio non fosse divenuto abbastanza grande da diventare il prossimo leader. Fu formato un Consiglio dei Cinque Anziani (go-tairō), composto dai cinque daimyō più potenti. Dopo la morte di Maeda Toshiie, tuttavia, Tokugawa Ieyasu iniziò a stringere alleanze, compresi i matrimoni politici. Alla fine, le forze pro-Toyotomi hanno combattuto contro i Tokugawa nella battaglia di Sekigahara. Ieyasu vinse e ricevette il titolo di Seii-Tai Shōgun due anni dopo.

Gli altri nomi di Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Alla nascita, gli fu dato il nome Hiyoshi-Maru. A genpuku, prese il nome Kinoshita Tōkichirō. Più tardi, gli fu dato il cognome Hashiba e l’ufficio della corte onoraria Chikuzen no Kami; di conseguenza, è stato designato Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi aveva ricevuto il soprannome di Kozaru, che significa “piccola scimmia”, dal suo signore Oda Nobunaga perché i suoi lineamenti del viso e la sua forma magra somigliavano a quelli di una scimmia. Era anche conosciuto come il “ratto calvo”.

Hideyoshi lasciò un’eredità influente e duratura, tra cui la restrizione al possesso di armi da parte del samurai, la costruzione e il restauro di molti templi, alcuni dei quali sono ancora visibili a Kyoto, e le invasioni giapponesi della Corea (1592-1598).[:en]

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the great unifier of Japan

written by: SaiKaiAngel | translation: Erika

photo credits: ancient-origins.net

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (March 17, 1537 – September 18, 1598) was a samurai, as well as daimyō, the successor of Oda Nobunaga as “great unifier” of Japan, ending the Sengoku period. The period of his dominion is called Momoyama, from the name of Hideyoshi castle. It appears that his birth was in Owari province, the home of the Oda clan (present-day Nagoya in Aichi prefecture). Son of an ashigaru peasant named Yaemon. It seems that his childhood name was Hiyoshi-maru. His father died when Hideyoshi was 7 years old.

Hideyoshi was sent to study in a temple as a young man, but he refused that life to go on an adventure hunt. Under the name Kinoshita Tōkichirō he joined the Imagawa clan for the first time as a servant of a local ruler named Matsushita Yukitsuna. He traveled to the lands of Imagawa Yoshimoto, daimyō of Suruga province, and served him only to escape with a sum of money entrusted to him by Matsushita Yukitsuna.

photo credits: samurai-world.com

The young Toyotomi Hideyoshi led a small group to attack the castle on Mount Inaba and in 1558, he joined the Oda clan, led by Oda Nobunaga, as ashigaru (lit. “light feet” who were employed in the conflicts of feudal Japan by the samurai caste.)
He became one of Nobunaga’s sandal bearers and was present in the battle of Okehazama in 1560 when Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto to become one of the most powerful warlords in the Sengoku period. He also appears to have overseen the repair of Kiyosu Castle by running the kitchen.

In 1561 Hideyoshi married the adopted daughter of Asano Nagakatsu. He made repairs on Sunomata Castle with his younger brother Toyotomi Hidenaga, Hachisuka Masakatsu and Maeno Nagayasu. He built a fort in Sunomata, at night also discovering a secret way to Mount Inaba

Siege of Inabayama Castle

Hideyoshi was very successful as a negotiator. In 1564, he managed to convince the warlords Mino to desert the Saitō clan. He then approached many samurai convincing them to follow Nobunaga.

Nobunaga’s easy victory at Inabayama Castle in 1567 was largely due to Hideyoshi’s efforts and for this he became one of Nobunaga’s most illustrious generals, eventually taking the name of Hashiba Hideyoshi. The new surname included two characters, one each of Oda’s other two men, Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsuie.

Battle of Anegawa

Hideyoshi led the troops to the battle of Anegawa in 1570 in which Oda Nobunaga allied himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu to besiege two fortresses of the Azai and Asakura clans. He participated in the siege of Nagashima in 1573 and in the same year, Nobunaga named Hideyoshi daimyō from three districts in the northern part of the Ōmi Province. Afterward, he moved to Kunitomo and renamed the city of Nagahama in homage to Nobunaga. Later Hideyoshi moved to the port of Imahama on Lake Biwa and took control of the nearby Kunitomo firearms factory which had been set up a few years earlier by the Azai and Asakura families, increasing its production.
Furthermore, he fought in the battle of Nagashino after which Nobunaga sent Hideyoshi to Himeji Castle to conquer the Chūgoku region by the Mori clan in 1576.

In 1577, he fought in the battle of Tedorigawa, in the siege of Miki, in the siege of Itami (1579) and in the siege of Takamatsu in 1582.

Battle of Yamazaki and conflict with Katsuie

After the murders of Honnō-ji of Oda Nobunaga and his eldest son Nobutada in 1582 at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, seeking revenge for the death of his beloved lord, made peace with the Mōri clan and defeated Akechi in the battle of Yamazaki.

Subsequently, being in a good position, he called the powerful daimyo to Kiyosu so that they could determine Nobunaga’s heir. Oda Nobukatsu and Oda Nobutaka quarreled, then the heir became Samboshi, Nobunaga’s grandson. Having won the support of Oda’s other two elders, Niwa Nagahide and Ikeda Tsuneoki, Hideyoshi took the position of Hidenobu and his influence on the Oda clan. He distributed the provinces of Nobunaga among generals and formed a council of four generals. The tension between Hideyoshi and Katsuie resulted in the battle of Shizugatake the following year in which Hideyoshi destroyed Katsuie’s forces. By then Hideyoshi had faced most of the Oda clan and control of 30 provinces.

Building of Osaka Castle

In 1582, Hideyoshi began building Osaka Castle on the site of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji temple destroyed by Nobunaga; this became the last stronghold of the Toyotomi clan after Hideyoshi’s death.

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

Oda Nobukatsu, hostile to Hideyoshi, allied with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the two sides fought in the battle of Komaki and Nagakute. Eventually, it resulted in a stalemate, although Hideyoshi’s forces suffered a severe blow. Finally, Hideyoshi made peace with Nobukatsu, ending the pretext for war between the Tokugawa and Hashiba clans. Ieyasu eventually agreed to become a Hideyoshi vassal.

Hideyoshi never obtained the title of shōgun, but made sure to get adopted by Konoe Sakihisa, one of the noblest men belonging to the Fujiwara clan and ensured a succession of high court titles including, in 1585, the prestigious position of Imperial Regent (kampaku). In 1586, Hideyoshi officially received the name of the new Toyotomi clan from the imperial court and built the Jurakudai, a sumptuous palace, in 1587 entertaining the reigning emperor, Go-Yōzei, the following year.

Japan unified under Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Subsequently, Hideyoshi subjugated the province of Kii and conquered Shikoku under the Chōsokabe clan. He then took control of Etchū province and also conquered Kyūshū.
In 1587 Hideyoshi banned Christian missionaries from Kyūshū to exercise greater control over Kirishitani daimyōs.

In 1588 he forbade the peasant townships to possess weapons and began to confiscate them. Swords were cast to create a Buddha statue. This measure effectively stopped peasant revolts and ensured greater stability at the expense of the freedom of the individuals.

Siege of Odawara

The siege of Odawara in 1590 against the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region eliminated the last resistance to Hideyoshi’s authority. His victory meant the end of the Sengoku period. During this siege, Hideyoshi offered Ieyasu the eight provinces governed by Hōjō in the Kantō region in exchange for the submission of the five provinces of Ieyasu, who accepted this proposal.

In February 1591, Hideyoshi ordered Sen no Rikyū to commit suicide, probably in one of his outbursts of anger. Rikyū had been a trusted supporter and master of the tea ceremony under Hideyoshi and Nobunaga. He also made significant changes to the aesthetics of the tea ceremony which had a lasting influence on many aspects of Japanese culture. Even after Rikyū died, Hideyoshi is said to have built his many construction projects based on the aesthetics promoted by Rikyū, perhaps suggesting that he regretted his actions.

After Rikyū died, Hideyoshi brought the tea ceremony to Noh, who studied since he became imperial regent.
The stability of the Toyotomi dynasty after Hideyoshi’s death was questioned with the death of his son Tsurumatsu in September 1591. The three-year-old boy was his only son. When his half-brother Hidenaga died shortly thereafter, Hideyoshi named his nephew Hidetsugu his heir, adopting him in January 1592. Hideyoshi resigned as kampaku to obtain the title of taikō and Hidetsugu succeeded him as kampaku.

Houkokubyo (Toyotomi Hideyoshi Mausoleum) Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto

As his health began to falter, Hideyoshi carried on the dream of Oda Nobunaga, that of a Japanese conquest to China, arriving at the Ming dynasty through Korea.
Hideyoshi asked Koreans for a ride to China in 1587, but without success, because Korea was allied with China and in April and July 1591 he also refused the request to pass through Korea for fear of jeopardizing security. Then, in August 1591, Hideyoshi ordered preparations to begin an invasion of Korea.

photo credits: flickr.com

First campaign against Korea

In the first campaign, Hideyoshi appointed Ukita Hideie as marshal and sent him to the Korean peninsula in April 1592. Konishi Yukinaga then occupied Seoul on June 19. After the fall of Seoul, Japanese commanders held a war council and determined submission targets called Hachidokuniwari from each corps. In just four months, Hideyoshi’s forces made their way to Manchuria and occupied much of Korea. Korean King Seonjo fled to Uiju and asked for military intervention from China. In 1593, Ming China Emperor Wanli sent an army under General Li Rusong to block the planned Japanese invasion of China and recapture the Korean Peninsula. The Ming army of 43,000 soldiers led by Li Ru-Song continued to attack Pyongyang.

On January 7, 1593, Ming’s relief forces under Li still captured Pyongyang and surrounded Seoul, but Kobayakawa Takakage, Ukita Hideie, Tachibana Muneshige and Kikkawa Hiroie won the Battle of Byeokjegwan on the outskirts of Seoul. At the end of the first campaign, the entire Japanese navy was destroyed by Korea’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin, whose base was located in a part of Korea that the Japanese could not control. This, in fact, put an end to Japan’s dream of conquering China as the Koreans simply destroyed Japan’s ability to resupply their bogged down troops in Pyongyang.

Succession dispute

The birth of Hideyoshi’s second son in 1593, Hideyori, created a succession problem. To avoid this, Hideyoshi exiled his nephew and heir Hidetsugu to Mount Kōya and then ordered him to commit suicide in August 1595. Members of the Hidetsugu family who did not follow his example were later murdered in Kyoto.

In January 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had twenty-six Christians arrested as an example of Japanese who wanted to convert to Christianity. They are known as the twenty-six martyrs of Japan. They included five European Franciscan missionaries, one Mexican Franciscan missionary, three Japanese Jesuits and seventeen Japanese, including three young boys. On February 5, they were executed in Nagasaki for public crucifixion.

Second campaign against Korea

After several years of negotiations, Hideyoshi appointed Kobayakawa Hideaki to conduct a renewed invasion of Korea, but their efforts on the peninsula were less successful. Japanese troops got stuck in Gyeongsang province. In June 1598, Japanese forces repelled several Chinese offensives to Suncheon and Sacheon, but were unable to make further progress as the Ming army prepared for a final assault. Koreans continually harassed Japanese forces, while the battle of Hideyoshi in Sacheon was a great victory for Japan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi died on September 18, 1598. He was delusional and his last words, delivered to his closest generals, were “I will depend on you for everything. I have no other thoughts to leave behind. It is sad to part with you. ” His death was kept secret by the Council of Five Elders to preserve morale and Japanese forces in Korea were ordered to withdraw to Japan by the Council of Five Elders (Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Uesugi Kakekatsu, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideie).

Since they had failed to capture Korea, Hideyoshi’s forces were unable to reach China either. The fighting force ran out, his vassals clashing over responsibility for failure and the clans that were loyal to the name Toyotomi weakened. The dream of a Japanese conquest of China has been put on hold indefinitely. The Tokugawa government later not only prohibited further military expeditions to the Asian mainland, but closed Japan to almost all foreigners during the Tokugawa shogunate years. It was only at the end of the 19th century that Japan again fought a war against China through Korea, using more or less the same path used by Hideyoshi’s force.

After his death, the other members of the Council of Five Regents were unable to control Tokugawa Ieyasu’s ambitions.

photo credits: jekyoto.wordpress.com

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Cultural heritage

Toyotomi Hideyoshi has changed Japanese society in many ways.

Class reforms have affected citizens and warriors. During the Sengoku period, it had become common for peasants to become warriors or for samurai to cultivate because of the constant uncertainty caused by the lack of centralized government and ever-provisional peace. After taking control, Hideyoshi decreed that all the peasants were completely disarmed and that the samurai left the land to settle in the castle towns. This strengthened the social class system for the next 300 years.

In addition, he ordered a complete census of Japan. After this, he asked all the Japanese to stay in their respective han (fiefdoms) unless they had obtained official permission to go elsewhere.

In 1590, Hideyoshi completed the construction of Osaka Castle, the largest in all of Japan, to protect western approaches to Kyoto. In the same year, he banned “non-free labor” and slavery, but the forms of contracts and forced labor continued equally.

Hideyoshi also influenced Japan’s material culture. He spent time and money on the tea ceremony, collecting tools, sponsoring sumptuous social events and sponsoring acclaimed masters. As interest in the tea ceremony grew among the ruling class, not only were large quantities of precious ceramic items confiscated, but many Korean craftsmen were forcibly transferred to Japan.

Inspired by the dazzling golden pavilion of Kyoto, he had the Golden Tea Room built, which was covered with a gold leaf and lined inside with a red gossamer. Using this mobile innovation, he was able to practice the tea ceremony wherever he went, forcefully projecting his power and status unmatched upon his arrival.

Politically, he established a government system that balanced the most powerful Japanese warlords. A council was created to include the most influential gentlemen.

Shortly before his death, Hideyoshi hoped to establish a stable enough system to survive until his son became old enough to become the next leader. A council of five elders (go-tairō) was formed, consisting of the five most powerful daimyō. After Maeda Toshiie’s death, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to form alliances, including political marriages. In the end, pro-Toyotomi forces fought against the Tokugawa in the battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu won and received the Seii-Tai Shōgun title two years later.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Names

At birth, he was given the name Hiyoshi-Maru. In genpuku, he took the name Kinoshita Tōkichirō. Later, he was given the surname Hashiba and the office of the honorary court Chikuzen no Kami, as a result, Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi was designated.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had received the nickname Kozaru, meaning “little monkey”, from his lord Oda Nobunaga because his facial features and lean shape resembled that of a monkey. He was also known as the “bald rat”.

Hideyoshi left an influential and enduring legacy, including the samurai’s restriction on weapons possession, the construction and restoration of many temples, some of which are still visible in Kyoto, and the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598 ).[:ja]

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the great unifier of Japan

written by: SaiKaiAngel | translation: Erika

photo credits: ancient-origins.net

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (March 17, 1537 – September 18, 1598) was a samurai, as well as daimyō, the successor of Oda Nobunaga as “great unifier” of Japan, ending the Sengoku period. The period of his dominion is called Momoyama, from the name of Hideyoshi castle. It appears that his birth was in Owari province, the home of the Oda clan (present-day Nagoya in Aichi prefecture). Son of an ashigaru peasant named Yaemon. It seems that his childhood name was Hiyoshi-maru. His father died when Hideyoshi was 7 years old.

Hideyoshi was sent to study in a temple as a young man, but he refused that life to go on an adventure hunt. Under the name Kinoshita Tōkichirō he joined the Imagawa clan for the first time as a servant of a local ruler named Matsushita Yukitsuna. He traveled to the lands of Imagawa Yoshimoto, daimyō of Suruga province, and served him only to escape with a sum of money entrusted to him by Matsushita Yukitsuna.

photo credits: samurai-world.com

The young Toyotomi Hideyoshi led a small group to attack the castle on Mount Inaba and in 1558, he joined the Oda clan, led by Oda Nobunaga, as ashigaru (lit. “light feet” who were employed in the conflicts of feudal Japan by the samurai caste.)
He became one of Nobunaga’s sandal bearers and was present in the battle of Okehazama in 1560 when Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto to become one of the most powerful warlords in the Sengoku period. He also appears to have overseen the repair of Kiyosu Castle by running the kitchen.

In 1561 Hideyoshi married the adopted daughter of Asano Nagakatsu. He made repairs on Sunomata Castle with his younger brother Toyotomi Hidenaga, Hachisuka Masakatsu and Maeno Nagayasu. He built a fort in Sunomata, at night also discovering a secret way to Mount Inaba

Siege of Inabayama Castle

Hideyoshi was very successful as a negotiator. In 1564, he managed to convince the warlords Mino to desert the Saitō clan. He then approached many samurai convincing them to follow Nobunaga.

Nobunaga’s easy victory at Inabayama Castle in 1567 was largely due to Hideyoshi’s efforts and for this he became one of Nobunaga’s most illustrious generals, eventually taking the name of Hashiba Hideyoshi. The new surname included two characters, one each of Oda’s other two men, Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsuie.

Battle of Anegawa

Hideyoshi led the troops to the battle of Anegawa in 1570 in which Oda Nobunaga allied himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu to besiege two fortresses of the Azai and Asakura clans. He participated in the siege of Nagashima in 1573 and in the same year, Nobunaga named Hideyoshi daimyō from three districts in the northern part of the Ōmi Province. Afterward, he moved to Kunitomo and renamed the city of Nagahama in homage to Nobunaga. Later Hideyoshi moved to the port of Imahama on Lake Biwa and took control of the nearby Kunitomo firearms factory which had been set up a few years earlier by the Azai and Asakura families, increasing its production.
Furthermore, he fought in the battle of Nagashino after which Nobunaga sent Hideyoshi to Himeji Castle to conquer the Chūgoku region by the Mori clan in 1576.

In 1577, he fought in the battle of Tedorigawa, in the siege of Miki, in the siege of Itami (1579) and in the siege of Takamatsu in 1582.

Battle of Yamazaki and conflict with Katsuie

After the murders of Honnō-ji of Oda Nobunaga and his eldest son Nobutada in 1582 at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, seeking revenge for the death of his beloved lord, made peace with the Mōri clan and defeated Akechi in the battle of Yamazaki.

Subsequently, being in a good position, he called the powerful daimyo to Kiyosu so that they could determine Nobunaga’s heir. Oda Nobukatsu and Oda Nobutaka quarreled, then the heir became Samboshi, Nobunaga’s grandson. Having won the support of Oda’s other two elders, Niwa Nagahide and Ikeda Tsuneoki, Hideyoshi took the position of Hidenobu and his influence on the Oda clan. He distributed the provinces of Nobunaga among generals and formed a council of four generals. The tension between Hideyoshi and Katsuie resulted in the battle of Shizugatake the following year in which Hideyoshi destroyed Katsuie’s forces. By then Hideyoshi had faced most of the Oda clan and control of 30 provinces.

Building of Osaka Castle

In 1582, Hideyoshi began building Osaka Castle on the site of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji temple destroyed by Nobunaga; this became the last stronghold of the Toyotomi clan after Hideyoshi’s death.

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

Oda Nobukatsu, hostile to Hideyoshi, allied with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the two sides fought in the battle of Komaki and Nagakute. Eventually, it resulted in a stalemate, although Hideyoshi’s forces suffered a severe blow. Finally, Hideyoshi made peace with Nobukatsu, ending the pretext for war between the Tokugawa and Hashiba clans. Ieyasu eventually agreed to become a Hideyoshi vassal.

Hideyoshi never obtained the title of shōgun, but made sure to get adopted by Konoe Sakihisa, one of the noblest men belonging to the Fujiwara clan and ensured a succession of high court titles including, in 1585, the prestigious position of Imperial Regent (kampaku). In 1586, Hideyoshi officially received the name of the new Toyotomi clan from the imperial court and built the Jurakudai, a sumptuous palace, in 1587 entertaining the reigning emperor, Go-Yōzei, the following year.

Japan unified under Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Subsequently, Hideyoshi subjugated the province of Kii and conquered Shikoku under the Chōsokabe clan. He then took control of Etchū province and also conquered Kyūshū.
In 1587 Hideyoshi banned Christian missionaries from Kyūshū to exercise greater control over Kirishitani daimyōs.

In 1588 he forbade the peasant townships to possess weapons and began to confiscate them. Swords were cast to create a Buddha statue. This measure effectively stopped peasant revolts and ensured greater stability at the expense of the freedom of the individuals.

Siege of Odawara

The siege of Odawara in 1590 against the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region eliminated the last resistance to Hideyoshi’s authority. His victory meant the end of the Sengoku period. During this siege, Hideyoshi offered Ieyasu the eight provinces governed by Hōjō in the Kantō region in exchange for the submission of the five provinces of Ieyasu, who accepted this proposal.

In February 1591, Hideyoshi ordered Sen no Rikyū to commit suicide, probably in one of his outbursts of anger. Rikyū had been a trusted supporter and master of the tea ceremony under Hideyoshi and Nobunaga. He also made significant changes to the aesthetics of the tea ceremony which had a lasting influence on many aspects of Japanese culture. Even after Rikyū died, Hideyoshi is said to have built his many construction projects based on the aesthetics promoted by Rikyū, perhaps suggesting that he regretted his actions.

After Rikyū died, Hideyoshi brought the tea ceremony to Noh, who studied since he became imperial regent.
The stability of the Toyotomi dynasty after Hideyoshi’s death was questioned with the death of his son Tsurumatsu in September 1591. The three-year-old boy was his only son. When his half-brother Hidenaga died shortly thereafter, Hideyoshi named his nephew Hidetsugu his heir, adopting him in January 1592. Hideyoshi resigned as kampaku to obtain the title of taikō and Hidetsugu succeeded him as kampaku.

Houkokubyo (Toyotomi Hideyoshi Mausoleum) Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto

As his health began to falter, Hideyoshi carried on the dream of Oda Nobunaga, that of a Japanese conquest to China, arriving at the Ming dynasty through Korea.
Hideyoshi asked Koreans for a ride to China in 1587, but without success, because Korea was allied with China and in April and July 1591 he also refused the request to pass through Korea for fear of jeopardizing security. Then, in August 1591, Hideyoshi ordered preparations to begin an invasion of Korea.

photo credits: flickr.com

First campaign against Korea

In the first campaign, Hideyoshi appointed Ukita Hideie as marshal and sent him to the Korean peninsula in April 1592. Konishi Yukinaga then occupied Seoul on June 19. After the fall of Seoul, Japanese commanders held a war council and determined submission targets called Hachidokuniwari from each corps. In just four months, Hideyoshi’s forces made their way to Manchuria and occupied much of Korea. Korean King Seonjo fled to Uiju and asked for military intervention from China. In 1593, Ming China Emperor Wanli sent an army under General Li Rusong to block the planned Japanese invasion of China and recapture the Korean Peninsula. The Ming army of 43,000 soldiers led by Li Ru-Song continued to attack Pyongyang.

On January 7, 1593, Ming’s relief forces under Li still captured Pyongyang and surrounded Seoul, but Kobayakawa Takakage, Ukita Hideie, Tachibana Muneshige and Kikkawa Hiroie won the Battle of Byeokjegwan on the outskirts of Seoul. At the end of the first campaign, the entire Japanese navy was destroyed by Korea’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin, whose base was located in a part of Korea that the Japanese could not control. This, in fact, put an end to Japan’s dream of conquering China as the Koreans simply destroyed Japan’s ability to resupply their bogged down troops in Pyongyang.

Succession dispute

The birth of Hideyoshi’s second son in 1593, Hideyori, created a succession problem. To avoid this, Hideyoshi exiled his nephew and heir Hidetsugu to Mount Kōya and then ordered him to commit suicide in August 1595. Members of the Hidetsugu family who did not follow his example were later murdered in Kyoto.

In January 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had twenty-six Christians arrested as an example of Japanese who wanted to convert to Christianity. They are known as the twenty-six martyrs of Japan. They included five European Franciscan missionaries, one Mexican Franciscan missionary, three Japanese Jesuits and seventeen Japanese, including three young boys. On February 5, they were executed in Nagasaki for public crucifixion.

Second campaign against Korea

After several years of negotiations, Hideyoshi appointed Kobayakawa Hideaki to conduct a renewed invasion of Korea, but their efforts on the peninsula were less successful. Japanese troops got stuck in Gyeongsang province. In June 1598, Japanese forces repelled several Chinese offensives to Suncheon and Sacheon, but were unable to make further progress as the Ming army prepared for a final assault. Koreans continually harassed Japanese forces, while the battle of Hideyoshi in Sacheon was a great victory for Japan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi died on September 18, 1598. He was delusional and his last words, delivered to his closest generals, were “I will depend on you for everything. I have no other thoughts to leave behind. It is sad to part with you. ” His death was kept secret by the Council of Five Elders to preserve morale and Japanese forces in Korea were ordered to withdraw to Japan by the Council of Five Elders (Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Uesugi Kakekatsu, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideie).

Since they had failed to capture Korea, Hideyoshi’s forces were unable to reach China either. The fighting force ran out, his vassals clashing over responsibility for failure and the clans that were loyal to the name Toyotomi weakened. The dream of a Japanese conquest of China has been put on hold indefinitely. The Tokugawa government later not only prohibited further military expeditions to the Asian mainland, but closed Japan to almost all foreigners during the Tokugawa shogunate years. It was only at the end of the 19th century that Japan again fought a war against China through Korea, using more or less the same path used by Hideyoshi’s force.

After his death, the other members of the Council of Five Regents were unable to control Tokugawa Ieyasu’s ambitions.

photo credits: jekyoto.wordpress.com

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Cultural heritage

Toyotomi Hideyoshi has changed Japanese society in many ways.

Class reforms have affected citizens and warriors. During the Sengoku period, it had become common for peasants to become warriors or for samurai to cultivate because of the constant uncertainty caused by the lack of centralized government and ever-provisional peace. After taking control, Hideyoshi decreed that all the peasants were completely disarmed and that the samurai left the land to settle in the castle towns. This strengthened the social class system for the next 300 years.

In addition, he ordered a complete census of Japan. After this, he asked all the Japanese to stay in their respective han (fiefdoms) unless they had obtained official permission to go elsewhere.

In 1590, Hideyoshi completed the construction of Osaka Castle, the largest in all of Japan, to protect western approaches to Kyoto. In the same year, he banned “non-free labor” and slavery, but the forms of contracts and forced labor continued equally.

Hideyoshi also influenced Japan’s material culture. He spent time and money on the tea ceremony, collecting tools, sponsoring sumptuous social events and sponsoring acclaimed masters. As interest in the tea ceremony grew among the ruling class, not only were large quantities of precious ceramic items confiscated, but many Korean craftsmen were forcibly transferred to Japan.

Inspired by the dazzling golden pavilion of Kyoto, he had the Golden Tea Room built, which was covered with a gold leaf and lined inside with a red gossamer. Using this mobile innovation, he was able to practice the tea ceremony wherever he went, forcefully projecting his power and status unmatched upon his arrival.

Politically, he established a government system that balanced the most powerful Japanese warlords. A council was created to include the most influential gentlemen.

Shortly before his death, Hideyoshi hoped to establish a stable enough system to survive until his son became old enough to become the next leader. A council of five elders (go-tairō) was formed, consisting of the five most powerful daimyō. After Maeda Toshiie’s death, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to form alliances, including political marriages. In the end, pro-Toyotomi forces fought against the Tokugawa in the battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu won and received the Seii-Tai Shōgun title two years later.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Names

At birth, he was given the name Hiyoshi-Maru. In genpuku, he took the name Kinoshita Tōkichirō. Later, he was given the surname Hashiba and the office of the honorary court Chikuzen no Kami, as a result, Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi was designated.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had received the nickname Kozaru, meaning “little monkey”, from his lord Oda Nobunaga because his facial features and lean shape resembled that of a monkey. He was also known as the “bald rat”.

Hideyoshi left an influential and enduring legacy, including the samurai’s restriction on weapons possession, the construction and restoration of many temples, some of which are still visible in Kyoto, and the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598 ).[:]