Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Senior First Rank Toyotomi Hideyoshi
豊臣 秀吉
Chief Advisor to the Emperor (Kampaku)
In office August 6, 1585 – February 10, 1592
Monarchs	Ōgimachi Go-Yōzei
Preceded by	Nijō Akizane
Succeeded by	Toyotomi Hidetsugu
Chancellor of the Realm (Daijō Daijin)
In office February 2, 1586 – September 18, 1598
Monarch	Go-Yōzei
Preceded by	Konoe Sakihisa
Succeeded by	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Head of Toyotomi clan
In office 1584–1598
Succeeded by	Toyotomi Hideyori
Personal details
Born	Hiyoshi-maru (日吉丸) March 27, 1537 Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Owari Province
Died	September 18, 1598(1598-09-18) (aged 61) Fushimi Castle, Kyoto, Japan
Spouses	Nene Yodo-dono
Domestic partner	Kaihime (concubine)
Children	Hashiba Hidekatsu (adopted son) Toyotomi Tsurumatsu Toyotomi Hideyori
Parents	Kinoshita Yaemon (father) Ōmandokoro (mother)
Relatives	Toyotomi Hidenaga (half-brother) Asahi no kata (half-sister) Tomo (Toyotomi) (sister) Toyotomi Hidetsugu (nephew) Konoe Sakihisa (adopted father)
Religion	Shinto
Other names	Kinoshita Tōkichirō (木下 藤吉郎) Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴 秀吉)
Divine name	Toyokuni Daimyōjin (豊国大明神)
Posthumous dharma name	Kokutai-yūshō-in-den Reizan Shunryū Daikoji (国泰祐松院殿霊山俊龍大居士)
Signature
Nickname(s)	"Kozaru" (little monkey) "Saru" (monkey) "Toyokuni daimyōjin"
Military service
Allegiance	Oda clan Toyotomi clan Imperial Court
Rank	Daimyō, Kampaku, Daijō-daijin
Unit	Toyotomi clan
Commands	Osaka Castle
Battles/wars	Siege of Inabayama Siege of Kanegasaki Battle of Anegawa Siege of Nagashima Battle of Ichijodani Siege of Itami Battle of Nagashino Siege of Mitsuji Battle of Tedorigawa Siege of Miki Siege of Tottori Siege of Takamatsu Battle of Yamazaki Battle of Shizugatake Battle of Komaki and Nagakute Negoro-ji Campaign Toyama Campaign Kyūshū campaign Odawara Campaign Korean Campaign See below
Japanese name
Shinjitai	豊臣 秀吉
Kyūjitai	豐臣 秀吉
Kana	とよとみ ひでよし or とよとみ の ひでよし
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Toyotomi Hideyoshi or Toyotomi no Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉, 17 March 1537 – 18 September 1598), otherwise known as Kinoshita Tōkichirō (木下 藤吉郎) and Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴 秀吉), was a Japanese samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.^[1][2] Although he came from a peasant background, his immense power earned him the rank and title of Kampaku (関白, Imperial Regent) and Daijō-daijin (太政大臣, Chancellor of the Realm), the highest official position and title in the nobility class. He was the first person in history to become a Kampaku who was not born a noble. He then passed the position and title of Kampaku to his nephew, Toyotomi Hidetsugu. He remained in power as Taikō (太閤), the title of retired Kampaku, until his death. It is believed, but not certain, that the reason he refused or could not obtain the title of shogun (征夷大将軍), the leader of the warrior class, was because he was of peasant origin.^[3][4]

Hideyoshi rose from a peasant background as a retainer of the prominent lord Oda Nobunaga to become one of the most powerful men in Japanese history. Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga after the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582 and continued Nobunaga's campaign to unite Japan that led to the closing of the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi became the de facto leader of Japan and acquired the prestigious positions of daijō-daijin and kampaku by the mid-1580s. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592 to initial success, but eventual military stalemate damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. Hideyoshi's young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori was displaced by Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 which would lead to the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Hideyoshi's rule covers most of the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japan, partially named after his castle, Momoyama Castle. Hideyoshi left an influential and lasting legacy in Japan, including Osaka Castle, the Tokugawa class system, the restriction on the possession of weapons to the samurai, and the construction and restoration of many temples, some of which are still visible in Kyoto.