Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi?

A battle for succession to the title of
shogun among Japan’s warlords in the
Muromachi period (1338-1573) threw
the nation into an era of civil strife
from the middle of the fifteenth century.
Powerful feudal lords battled with
one another to gain control of the
country.
It was during this war-torn period
that Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-98)
made a name for himself. Born the son
of a poor foot soldier, Hideyoshi made a
living as a peddler. But gradually seizing
opportunities as they came, he rose
through the ranks and came to serve
under the warlord Oda Nobunaga
(1534-82), who had nearly succeeded
in unifying the nation after toppling the
Muromachi government in Kyoto.
Fighting in battle after battle
around the country, Hideyoshi
emerged as one of Nobunaga’s leading
generals. After Nobunaga’s death,
Hideyoshi took charge of his forces,
and in 1591, Hideyoshi achieved the
goal of national unity.
Hideyoshi is well known for his two
reckless attempts to invade Korea
during his rule, but he also achieved
much on the domestic front. For example,
he conducted surveys of farmland
to better ascertain how much rice
should be collected in taxes and pro-
A sixteenth-century portrait of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi.