Hideyoshi

Hideyoshi, commonly known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was a Japanese statesman and daimyo who unified much of Japan during the late Sengoku period. Born around 1537 in Nakamura, Owari Province, he rose from a peasant or low-ranking background to become one of Oda Nobunaga's top generals. He first served as a vassal to Nobunaga and, after Nobunaga's death in 1582, moved quickly to consolidate power, defeating rival lords and assuming the title Taiko in 1585, with the Emperor granting him the Toyotomi surname in 1586, establishing the Toyotomi line.

Hideyoshi completed the unification of Japan with the Odawara campaign against the Hojo clan in 1590. Domestically, he implemented policies to strengthen central authority, including the sword hunt of 1588 to disarm peasants and reduce potential uprisings, as well as land surveys to organize taxation. He also built Osaka Castle as the center of his government and sought to solidify social order under a centralized regime.

In foreign policy, Hideyoshi initiated invasions of Korea (1592–1598) with the aim of expanding Japanese influence and potentially reaching China. The Imjin War drained resources and ultimately did not achieve its strategic goals. Hideyoshi died in 1598 at Fushimi Castle in Kyoto, leaving a centralized but fragile political framework under the Toyotomi clan.

His death precipitated a power struggle that led to the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate, marking the transition to the Edo period. Hideyoshi’s tenure is remembered for unifying Japan and for ambitious projects that shaped late 16th-century politics and culture.