Hideyoshi’s Unification of Japan

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) rose from a farmer’s son to become the ruler of Japan. After Nobunaga’s death, he unified Japan in only eight years.

Basic Knowledge

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (originally Kinoshita Tokichiro → Hashiba Hideyoshi → Toyotomi Hideyoshi) is said to have been the son of a farmer from Nakamura, Owari. He served Nobunaga as an ashigaru and rose through the ranks.
June 13, 1582: Battle of Yamazaki — Eleven days after the Honnoji Incident, he defeated Akechi Mitsuhide at Yamazaki in Kyoto (present-day Oyamazaki Town, Kyoto Prefecture). It is also called the Battle of Tennozan.
1583: Battle of Shizugatake — He defeated Nobunaga’s senior retainer Shibata Katsuie and established himself as Nobunaga’s successor.
1583: Construction of Osaka Castle began — He built an impregnable great castle on the site of Ishiyama Honganji.
1584: Battle of Komaki and Nagakute — He fought the allied forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobuo. Neither side won, and they made peace. Hideyoshi later made Ieyasu his vassal.
1585: Pacification of Shikoku — He forced Chosokabe Motochika to surrender. Hideyoshi was appointed kampaku.
1586: Granted the surname Toyotomi by the imperial court. He also became grand minister of state.
1587: Pacification of Kyushu — He forced Shimazu Yoshihisa to surrender and issued the Edict to Expel Christian Missionaries.
1588: Sword Hunt Edict — He took weapons from farmers.
1590: Conquest of Odawara — He destroyed Hojo Uj imasa and Ujinao, and Date Masamune of Oshu also submitted. Unification of Japan was completed.
1592: Bunroku Campaign — He began the invasion of Korea.
1597: Keicho Campaign — He sent another army to Korea.
1598: Hideyoshi died (aged 62), and the army withdrew from Korea.

In Depth (Background and Effects)

Hideyoshi unified Japan at the astonishing speed of only eight years. This was possible because he inherited Nobunaga’s work and possessed skill in political maneuvering and mobilizing large armies. Hideyoshi often forced opponents to submit politically rather than defeating them in battle.
Because Hideyoshi was of farmer origin, he could not become shogun (he was not descended from the Minamoto clan), so he became kampaku, the highest office of the Fujiwara regency. In 1586, the imperial court granted him the surname Toyotomi, placing him among the new nobility.
Osaka Castle was built on the site of Ishiyama Honganji. Its three-part structure consisted of the main enclosure, second enclosure, and third enclosure, surrounded by enormous stone walls. The castle town of Osaka became the origin of the name “the nation’s kitchen,” a term established later in the Edo period.
On August 18, 1598, Hideyoshi died at Fushimi Castle. In his will, he entrusted his six-year-old son Toyotomi Hideyori to the Five Elders (Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideie, and Uesugi Kagekatsu) and the Five Commissioners (including Ishida Mitsunari), but a power struggle soon began.

Points to Note (Easily Confused)

① Battle of Yamazaki (1582) = Hideyoshi vs. Akechi Mitsuhide; Battle of Shizugatake (1583) = Hideyoshi vs. Shibata Katsuie. Hideyoshi won both.
② Kampaku = Hideyoshi; shogun = Ieyasu. Hideyoshi could not become shogun because he was of farmer origin.
③ Distinguish the Bunroku Campaign (1592-1593) from the Keicho Campaign (1597-1598). Be sure of the order.
④ The name changes of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (originally Kinoshita Tokichiro) were Kinoshita Tokichiro → Hashiba Hideyoshi → Toyotomi Hideyoshi. “Toyotomi Hideyoshi” is the standard textbook name.

Practice

1. State the year in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed the unification of Japan and the name of the Kanto warlord he destroyed at that time.
2. State the name of the highest office in the imperial court, assisting the emperor, that Toyotomi Hideyoshi held.
3. State the collective name of the five powerful daimyos to whom Toyotomi Hideyoshi entrusted the young Hideyori in his will.