In this blog post, we examine whether Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the hero who unified Japan or a tragic figure consumed by ambition, through the lens of his eventful life.
Greetings. I am Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It feels rather awkward to be writing to you like this. Now, on this cool spring day, beneath the garden where cherry blossoms drift, I reflect on the past. Truly, fate is both tenacious and cruel.
Our reputation in Japan today is quite favorable, I hear. The Japanese people living in 2025 name Oda Nobunaga, you, and me as their favorite historical figures. There’s an amusing story, you know. An anecdote concocted by the people of 2024. It’s about what each of us would do if a cuckoo in a cage refused to sing. Oda Nobunaga declared he’d cut the bird down with his sword, saying a bird that wouldn’t sing was useless. You said you’d wait patiently until it sang. And I? I’d coax and cajole it by any means necessary until it sang. Haha! Isn’t that an amusing tale? Telling this story brings back memories of days gone by. Battles on the battlefield, Oda Nobunaga’s sudden death, the glorious unification of Japan, and even my son Hideyori. Though dwelling on the past is pointless, as you know, I am an honest man, and in this letter, I wish to lay bare my true feelings.
I came from a lowly background, but Nobunaga took me under his wing. Serving him as a subordinate brought me to where I am today. Before meeting Nobunaga, I traveled the country peddling needles with the little money my father left me. If I couldn’t win people’s favor, I’d starve to death. So I forced myself to suppress my darker side, striving to appear cheerful and magnanimous. That was the lesson I learned back then. When people called me a monkey, I made an even more monkey-like expression. When I first began serving Nobunaga, I even carried his straw sandals in my bosom to keep them warm for him. Considering my lowly origins, I sometimes envied you, born into a noble family. But we both knew that conquering the realm depended not on birth, but on strategy and strength.
Do you recall our first confrontation? It was when Nobunaga passed away and a council convened to choose his successor. You likely believed the second son should inherit the clan since the eldest, Nobutada, was dead. But I recommended Hidenobu, the son of the deceased Nobutada. But the second son, Nobukatsu, the true heir, was a thorn in my side. So I created a pretext to eliminate him. Nobukatsu, as expected, was foolish and readily believed the rumors I spread. In the end, he killed his own trusted retainer and went to you for help, giving you the righteous cause.
Thus our war began. You won the local battles at Komaki and Nagakute, but I employed political and diplomatic maneuvers to isolate you. War is not merely a military clash, is it? So while you prevailed in the local battles, you lost the broader war. Yet what I truly desired was peace with you. I did everything possible to forge peace. First, I forcibly divorced my half-sister Asahi and sent her to you. My retainers opposed sending my sister, but I made the decision. Even so, you did not come to Osaka. So, as a last resort, I sent my mother as a hostage. This was my final card, my desperate resolve. Had you still refused, I intended to wage war. You can imagine how grave my resolve was. Ultimately, you entered Osaka and paid homage. I now stand on the brink of unifying the realm, save for the regions of Ōu and Tōhoku.
I hear you sent your second daughter to marry into the Hōjō clan of the Kanpō region. I wished to test you. Would you truly follow my will? Wanting to save your daughter, you advised the Hojo clan, but the Hojo father and son were foolish and heeded not your words. In the end, you stood at the forefront. Hojo Ujimasa and Ujinori committed suicide, and your son-in-law, Ujinao, was forced into seclusion in the mountains.
With everything proceeding smoothly, I must have grown senile. I sought to build an Eastern empire spanning China and India to conquer the world. I was intoxicated by success and lost my objectivity. Ultimately, under the pretext of ‘securing a foothold for invading Ming China,’ I invaded Joseon for seven years starting in 1592, only to suffer a crushing defeat. Looking back now, it seems you opposed this war from the very beginning. Yet before me, you consistently maintained an obedient demeanor. Of course, those who followed me likely dreamed of receiving lands in Joseon or Ming as rewards and living in luxury, but perhaps you saw through that futility.
Amidst the war, my son Hideyori was born. I was 57 years old then; perhaps because of my age, I saw only my son. The desire to pass on a secure position of ruler to Hideyori became my obsession. When the war ended, the morale of the Japanese army plummeted, and the animosity between the expeditionary force generals and the residual army generals deepened. I gradually sank into despair and finally took to my sickbed in 1598. I was in a state of physical and mental collapse, beyond recovery. In the end, with Hideyori by my side, I pleaded tearfully with my retainers. I remember you were present then. Still, I felt uneasy and made them write a blood oath. After that, I closed my eyes. After my death, the invasion of Joseon ended, and the conflict between the military faction and the civil faction intensified, I hear. Mitsunari of the civil faction, sensing the crisis, strove to maintain power centered around Hideyori. However, Mitsunari’s uprising united the daimyo and you, and the Battle of Sekigahara began. For you, this battle was virtually a guaranteed victory. You had secured the cooperation of numerous daimyo through secret alliances. Ultimately, Mitsunari was defeated, and you achieved a decisive triumph. This war was a conflict between my supporters and your forces, and your faction completely crushed mine. Thus, your Edo shogunate began.
Looking back now on the history that has passed, my feelings are fresh. It was a time when we both fought for our own convictions and goals. I respect your decisiveness and wisdom, and now I can only hope that, beyond our differences, our descendants will work together for a better future.
