Toyotomi Hideyoshi - The Second Great Unifier of Japan - Mini Biography

The second "Great Unifier" of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, also known as Kinoshita Tkichir and Hashiba Hideyoshi, was a Japanese samurai and daimy of the late Sengoku period.

As a retainer of the well-known lord Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi climbed from a humble upbringing to become one of the most powerful men in Japan. Following the Honn-ji Incident in 1582, Hideyoshi replaced Nobunaga and carried on Nobunaga's efforts to unify Japan, which resulted in the end of the Sengoku era. By the middle of the 1580s, Hideyoshi had established himself as the de facto ruler of Japan and had attained the illustrious titles of Imperial Regent and Chancellor of the Realm. After successfully beginning the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, Hideyoshi's reputation suffered due to a military impasse before his death in 1598. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu ousted Hideyoshi's young son and heir Toyotomi Hideyori, which resulted in the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The majority of Hideyoshi's dominance in Japan is known as the Azuchi-Momoyama period, which takes its name in part from his castle, Momoyama Castle. Hideyoshi left a significant and enduring impact in Japan, which includes Osaka Castle, the Tokugawa class structure, the ban on civilians carrying weapons, and the building and renovation of numerous temples, some of which can still be seen in Kyoto.