Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a prominent military and political figure of medieval Japan, who managed to reach the very top of the hierarchical system from among the peasantry. His reforms formed the basis of the structure of the Japanese state and existed practically unchanged for 300 years. The name Toyotomi is shrouded in secrets and legends, it is even to some extent a symbol of modern Japan.
Birth and youth
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was born either February 2, 1536, or March 26, 1537, which corresponded to the fifth or sixth year of Tenbun, the exact date is still unknown. His small homeland was the village of Nakamura in the province of Owari. He was born into a peasant family, and if he were an ordinary child, then he would walk in the field until the end of his days. However, Hideyoshi was not an ordinary person, and he managed to prove this to everyone, including the emperor. Although, perhaps, he was not a peasant, since other sources claim his samurai origin, and from the very “black” layer -ashigaru foot soldiers. This mystery remains unsolved even four centuries after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
His short biography is filled with many facts and events in the military and political life of the country. But there is a possibility that if his father had not died so early, Japan and the whole world would not have heard such a name. The thing is that after the death of Yaemon's father, his mother got married. The stepfather immediately took a dislike to his wife's son, often raised his voice at him and often beat him. This prompted the future ruler to flee from his father's house. He went to the province of Suruga, where the Imagawa clan ruled. T. Hideyoshi was accepted into the service of Matsushito Naganori with the new name of Kinoshita Tokichiro. From this moment begins his adult life away from his father's home and native land.
Oda Nobunaga and the beginning of growth in the hierarchical system
1554 was marked by the meeting of Hideyoshi and Oda Nobunaga. At the same time, he left the Imagawa and began to serve the new master. Of course, he did not immediately become a samurai, at first he was the wearer of Nobunaga's sandals.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi stood out from the environment of ordinary servants, he was quick-witted, prudent, and engineering inclinations slipped in his activities. The last point helped to change the attitude of the ruler towards him. Once there was a collapse of the fortified residence of Oda. The collapses were significant, but the capable peasant Toyotomi managed to eliminate them in just three days. This made an indelible impression on Nobunaga, and he, in turn, did not remain in debtin front of his servant. In an instant, Oda appointed him the ruler of the city of Kiyosu, which had the status of a castle, in addition, the financial affairs of the ruling family were transferred to Hideyoshi. Given the fact that Toyotomi did not have an aristocratic background, then this was an exception to all the rules. He managed to secure a high status in society in 1564, when he married the daughter of Nobunaga's closest vassal Asana Nagamashi.
Military activities under Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga is a historical figure who played a huge role in the unification of Japan. As a rule, the unification took place due to the conquest of neighboring provinces, therefore, it was accompanied by constant internecine wars. Toyotomi Hideyoshi played a major role in this process. His biography is simply crammed with military successes in the struggle for the ex altation of the Oda clan. In 1566, a war was unleashed with the Saito clan. The stumbling block was the province of Mino. Hideyoshi managed to build a fortification in the swamp in just one night, which became a springboard for the advance of Nobunaga's troops. At the same time, his diplomatic abilities should be noted, because it was in this resistance of the two Japanese clans that he lured the influential Saito generals to his side. After that, there was a turning point in the course of the war, and two years later it ended with the victory of Oda.
1568 was an important year in Hideyoshi Toyotomi's political activities. After the capture of Kyoto, he was appointed one of the co-rulers of the capital.
From upstart to generals
Two years after the capture of Kyoto, Nobunaga gathered an armyfor a trip to the province of Echizen, where the Asakura clan ruled. This campaign suffered unexpected possible losses and the complete defeat of Oda's troops. Already during the campaign, Nobunaga learned about the betrayal of one of the influential allies, with whom the enemy could take the army in a vice and defeat. Oda prepared for an urgent retreat, and left a rearguard led by Hideyoshi as cover. Everyone knew perfectly well that this was certain death. However, contrary to all prejudices, Toyotomi managed to repel all the enemy raids, returning to Kyoto to the main forces undefeated. This act was not just a cover for the retreating forces of the ruler, he changed the views of the Oda samurai. Previously, they believed that Hideyoshi was a simple civilian upstart, but now they began to see him as a gifted commander.
In 1573, the Azai family was destroyed, while Toyotomi Hideyoshi was appointed the ruler of Nagamaha Castle. Photos of those possessions have not survived to this day, but the fact that the former peasant received a military fortification for use speaks volumes.
In 1576, Hideyoshi was appointed assistant to the military general Katsuie Shibata, in order to repel the military onslaught of Kenshin's forces. During the discussion of the strategy of warfare, a quarrel occurred, as a result of which our hero went AWOL - he left the headquarters. The result of this was the complete defeat of Nobunaga's troops. Initially, it was decided to execute Toyotomi, but given his remarkable abilities, the overlord let him live, issuing a stern warning.
Atonement
The activity of Toyotomi Hideyoshi dates back to the second half of the 16th century. This is the peak of intense struggle within the state between individual representatives of the clans, this is the time of ongoing wars. And therefore, the best way to earn the forgiveness of the ruler was a military feat. Toyotomi did not keep himself waiting long, especially since the command itself gave him a convenient chance for this. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Nobunaga army in the fight against the growing Mori clan. For two years, Hideyoshi managed to subjugate three clans - Kodera, Akamatsu and Bessho. At the same time, he created a stronghold, the center of which was Himeji Castle. In 1579, they managed to win over Ukita, a vassal of Mori, to his side.
However, the next year was not so cloudless. In the rear, the Besse clan rebelled. Hideyoshi could not continue the offensive when the rear was restless, so he returned his forces to suppress the rebellion. In order to take the fortress of the rebels, it took a year, since this could only be done by starvation. Immediately after this, Toyotomi subjugated the Tajima region, which belonged to the Yamana clan, to his power. The remnants of Yaman's subordinates, realizing all the insolvency of their overlord, expelled him and concentrated in the fortress of Tottori, going over to the side of Mori. But this did not save them: in 1581, Toyotomi surrounded the fortress, bought up all the provisions in the area and starved it out.
In 1582, just like in the previous year, Fortune smiled at our hero Toyotomi Hideyoshi. A photo of his victories, of course, does not exist, but,if they were captured, they would amaze their contemporaries and future generations with their originality. Meanwhile, Toyotomi continued his victorious streak and, having invaded the lands of the Bitchu province, began the siege of the Takamatsu fortress. It was a well-armed and impregnable castle. On all sides the valley in which he was located was surrounded by mountains, and on both sides of it were two rivers. Hideyoshi again resorted to engineering, building dams in such a way that the entire valley, coupled with incessant rains, turned into a huge lake, and the castle itself turned out to be like an island. A few weeks later, the impregnable fortress fell.
Political Rise
The years of Oda Nobunaga's rule cannot be called stable and prosperous. The population suffered from constant incessant wars. Under his power, he managed to capture 33 provinces, in which he created indescribable outrages. All this led to a rebellion against Nobunaga. The rebels, led by Akechi Mitsuhide and his 10,000-strong army, forced Nobunaga to commit seppuku.
At that time, Toyotomi was busy storming Takamatsu Castle, but when he heard about the alarming news, he did not tell anyone, he quickly concluded a truce with Mori and went to the capital. At the same time, another associate of Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, went to Kyoto. But Hideyoshi was ahead of him, covering a distance of several hundred kilometers in three days. In May, 12 days, in 1582, the 40,000-strong army of Toyotomi defeated the troops of Mitsuhide at Yamazaki. The rebel himself was killed by ordinary peasants while robbing food forhorses.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whose quotes scattered all over Nobunaga's former possessions, positioned himself as an avenger, which led him to increase his influence among influential feudal lords and samurai. It was not difficult for Toyotomi to enlist the support of the generals when deciding on the succession of power to Toyotomi. A potential competitor for the throne - Nobunaga's son Nobutaka - he forced to commit suicide. After that, Hideyoshi received most of the possessions of the Oda clan, being the regent-adviser of the new ruler of the Oda clan Sanboshi (3 years old). Open dissatisfaction at the same time was indicated by long-time opponent Shibata Katsuie.
Unifying the country through bloodshed
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1582-1598) did not find peace after being declared the actual heir to Nobunaga's power. At this time, an old adversary and opponent Hideyoshi Shibata unleashed a war against him. In a decisive battle, the enemy was defeated and was forced to retreat to his province of Echizen. Most of Shibata's allies eventually came under the banner of Toyotomi. Taking advantage of the moment, Hideyoshi broke into the enemy's lands and surrounded the Kitanosho fortress. Shibata and his wife accepted death from seppuku, the citadel surrendered to the mercy of the winner. As a result, all former lands controlled by Nobunaga passed into the possession of Hideyoshi.
In 1583, the city of Osaka became the center of construction: the construction of a huge castle began here. As contemporaries testified, not a single state of the civilized world had such fortresses. ByAccording to the Japanese, these included Japan, China and Korea. At the same time, Osaka has become the main financial center and the secret, but the actual capital of the country.
Subjugation of the entire territory of Japan
Toyotomi's we althiest competitor in the unification process was Nobunaga's former ally Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1584, a general battle took place between their armies, in which the Tokugawa samurai won. But the potential and reserve of forces to continue the war was on the side of Hideyoshi, so Ieyasu went to negotiate peace. Peace was not enough for Toyotomi, he needed the obedience of absolutely all the city rulers of Japan. To do this, he even gave his sister Asahi in marriage to Tokugawa, and sent his mother to him as a hostage. In 1586, Tokugawa himself arrived in Kyoto and took the oath of allegiance to Hideyoshi.
In the same years, Toyotomi Hideyoshi decided to annex the island of Shikoku, which was ruled by Tesokabe Mototiki, to his possessions. At first, Hideyoshi suggested that he simply recognize the vassalage. But, as expected, Tesokabe refused, after which Hideyoshi sent a 100,000-strong army, to which the enemy capitulated.
Followed by the island of Kyushu, ruled by the Shimazu family. In 1587, Toyotomi personally led an army of 200,000. The local city rulers were unable to resist such a force and surrendered to the conquerors.
By the end of the 80s of the 16th century, another major landowner remained in Japan - the Go-Hojo clan. In 1590 open war broke out between the two titans. Toyotomi laid siege to the main fortress of Odawara. Immediately after that, he ordered all the samurai of the Eastern part of Japan to gather at his residence. As a result, almost all military feudal lords came to him and recognized their dependence on Hideyoshi. After three months of siege, the impregnable fortress, which no illustrious commander could take before Toyotomi, fell. The ruler of the clan and his sons committed seppuku.
As a result of this activity, under the influence of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the commander and politician subjugated the entire territory of Japan to his power. He became the most influential ruler in the history of the state.
Internal reforms
In internal affairs, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was as active as in military operations. After the end of a century of internecine wars, a period of stability began in the country, which led to an instant increase in cultivated areas - they grew by 70%. However, Hideyoshi introduced a huge tax on farmers - they had to hand over 2/3 of the crop to the treasury. Thus, the rice harvest for the year was about 3.5 million tons.
Toyotomi pursued a policy of seizing all weapons among the common population, and even scythes and sickles belonged to this category at that time. The entire population of Japan was clearly divided into two classes: administrators, which included the military class, and civilian subjects. The all-Japanese land cadastre was also first created during the reign of Hideyoshi and existed unchanged for 300 years.
One of the most significantmoments in the internal activities of Hideyoshi is the expulsion of Christian missionaries. There were many reasons for this, from official economic to personal ones. On June 19, 1587, he issued a decree according to which all Christians had to leave the Japanese islands within 20 days, otherwise death awaited them. To intimidate, demonstrative executions were carried out: 26 Christians were crucified, including Europeans.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's imperialist views
Intoxicated by inner successes, believing in his God's chosenness, Toyotomi began to gradually lose his mind, according to some researchers. He got himself a harem, consisting of 300 concubines, all the time drove hundreds of thousands of peasants to build military fortifications, and no one needed them. But the main thing is his imperialist ideas. It occurred to Toyotomi to take over the entire civilized world. He started in Korea. The first period of the war, of course, remained with the Japanese - they captured almost all the cities on the Korean Peninsula and reached the borders with China. However, after that, a guerrilla war unfolded, plus the Chinese army came from the north, considering Korea its vassal territory. The result - the samurai were pushed south. Korea was divided into Chinese and Japanese occupation zones. This struggle continued until the death of Hideyoshi in 1598. After this event, the samurai capitulated and went to their native lands, where the internecine struggle flared up again, the main figure in which was Tokugawa Ieyasu.
So spoke Hideyoshi
Quotes and sayings, as well as poems by the all-powerful dictator Hideyoshi were filled with deep philosophical meaning. However, this was characteristic of all the rulers of the civilized East of those times, and our hero is no exception.
According to his origin, Toyotomi could not become an emperor, so the title of kampaku was assigned to him. It can be interpreted in different ways, but the meaning is that he was the actual ruler of the state under the nominal power of the emperor. Therefore, when the samurai swore allegiance, the bias was not towards the emperor, but towards Hideyoshi's kampak. This is evidenced by the main text of the oath, compiled directly by Toyotomi: "The orders and instructions of the kampaku must be observed by everyone, and they must be implicitly carried out."
One of Hideyoshi's philosophical quotes is a discourse about life: “I am unshakable and firm in achieving my goal, and in every new situation, all my household chores will also be in perfect order. I look to the future with hope, as before, I believe in my longevity, and nothing bad should happen to me. I will continue to enjoy all the delights of life.”
His quotes are full of life philosophy, however, his statements regarding public administration, in which he was very strong, have not reached us. Hideyose went a long way from a peasant to a kampak, and in his declining years, as contemporaries claimed, he turned into a very superstitious and pious person. That is why his last poem, written already on his deathbed, wasthe following philosophical conclusion:
I am like a falling dewdrop, like a dewdrop that will disappear without a trace.
Even Osaka Castle –
Just a dream.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi - "Monkey" or "Mr. Monkey", that's how he was called in Japanese historiography. This was by no means due to his unseemly appearance. In Japan, a similar nickname or the word "Tokichiro" was used to call people who managed to do everything, were endowed with remarkable intelligence, quick wits and vitality. Toyotomi Hideyoshi proved all this in his own life. He managed from a poor peasant to become the ruler of all Japan, defeating opponents, and at the same time uniting the state under the sole authority.
