Hideyoshi

Harvard East Asian Monographs #146

by Mary Elizabeth Berry

Here is the first full-length biography in English of the most important political figure in premodern Japan.

Hideyoshi―peasant turned general, military genius, and imperial regent of Japan―is the subject of an immense legendary literature. He is best known for the conquest of Japan’s sixteenth-century warlords and the invasion of Korea. He is known, too, as an extravagant showman who rebuilt cities, erected a colossal statue of the Buddha, and entertained thousands of guests at tea parties. But his lasting contribution is as governor whose policies shaped the course of Japanese politics for almost three hundred years.

In Japan’s first experiment with federal rule, Hideyoshi successfully unified two hundred local domains under a central authority. Mary Elizabeth Berry explores the motives and forms of this new federalism which would survive in Japan until the mid-nineteenth century, as well as the philosophical question it raised: What is the proper role of government? This book reflects upon both the shifting political consciousness of the late sixteenth century and the legitimation rituals that were invoked to place change in a traditional context. It also reflects upon the architect of that change―a troubled parvenu who acted often with moderation and sometimes with explosive brutality.

Genres: History, Japan, Biography, Nonfiction, Japanese History, Asia, Biography Memoir

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Stephanie Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodness, that was so dry. Would not recommend as a first book into Japanese sengoku era history. Plus there's a lot of Japanese terms that are used multiple times without a glossary to look back on so hey if you don't know those terms well enough, too bad, figure it out yourself.

Ahem.

On the plus side, I got the chance to dig deeper into Hideyoshi. As the one who basically finished what Oda Nobunaga started in actually uniting all of Japan, he's a pretty important character, even if his name doesn't continue on with an heir and Tokugawa takes over as shogun once Hideyoshi dies to actually hold the shogunate for like 250 ish years. Ahhh still. He did an important thing for Japan.

There's a lot of dry facts that made it hard to get through, such as the measuring system (or lack thereof until Hideyoshi made a more central system I guess). And how taxes were calculated and blah blah blah. As important as all that is to understanding that Hideyoshi was creating a central authority with all his rules and statutes, it sure didn't make for fun reading lol.

The war strategy stuff was, surprisingly, far more fun to follow, especially with the map to keep track of the domains and the routes each vassal and daimyo was following. And the stuff in his last years and how he gave more attention to the arts and even did performances himself. That stuff was fun.

Of course I was groaning at his choice to attack Korea. Like bruh whhyyyyy did you do that. And TWICE gah 😩

Anywho, interesting read if you already understand the basics of sengoku to Tokugawa era history. Really fills out the Hideyoshi years for ya. If not, I'd suggest trying something else first so you don't drown in all the information thrown at you so quickly.

[Matthew Welker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like the closest I’ve gotten to something akin to the Yale Monarch series for a Japanese historical figure. This book is covers the life and rule of Hideyoshi during Japan’s unification period.

For a fairly short book, it’s not short on detail. You’ll learn a lot about the man. His rise to power. How he operated. How he ruled. Learn about his pivotal role in Japan’s transformation in the 16th century.

The book can be dry, but it is scholarly. This isn’t exactly something I’d recommend to a casual history book reader. Nonetheless, I liked it and I think for anyone looking for something solely about Hideyoshi, this book is the move.

[Julian Bohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scholarly biography of Hideyoshi. Both a serious and very well researched work, it is not an easy read without prior knowledge of Japanese history, more specifically its feudal era. The study focuses on the political powers at play during Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi’s reigns, as well as governmental structures they implemented. Covering Nobunaga’ rise and fall, Hideyoshi’s birth, raise to power and conquests, the most interesting section of this study covers the quality and style of Hideyoshi’s governance, proving his original approach that set Japan on for a new peaceful era, that of the Tokugawa.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather dry but accessible, tells the story of the leader before that exemplified in Shogun. An interesting portrait of a man and his influences on Japanese political government and structure.

[Helmut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine einmalige Persönlichkeit, die ihre Zeit definiert

Dies ist keine Biografie, wie der Titel vielleicht vermuten lassen könnte - über das private Leben Toyotomi Hideyoshis wird nicht viel erzählt. In diesem Buch geht es hauptsächlich um den Einfluss, den Hideyoshi auf die Geschichte Japans hatte: Der Sozialreformer, Landverteiler und Militärstratege steht im Vordergrund. So ist dieses Buch also mehr ein Geschichtsbuch über die Periode, die von Hideyoshi geprägt wurde, als eine klassische Biografie der Person selbst. Man erfährt über ihn allerdings viel durch die Art, wie er Dinge anpackte. Die Autorin zeigt Hideyoshis Persönlichkeit, sein andauerndes Streben nach Anerkennung trotz (oder gerade wegen) seiner einfachen Herkunft als zugrundeliegende Charaktereigenschaft auf, die sowohl seine frühen Erfolge als auch seine späteren Fehlgriffe erklärt.

Stellenweise ist das ganze etwas unruhig zu lesen, da die Autorin absatzweise über 30 Jahre Geschichte hin- und herspringt. Gerade Kapitel 2 ist harter Tobak - sehr trockene Materie, und man merkt, dass die Autorin selbst daran wenig Spaß hatte. Dafür gibt es auch Kapitel, die sich begeisternd lesen lassen, und die einem enorm viel Hintergrundwissen in kürzester Zeit vermitteln, ohne anstrengend oder mühevoll zu sein. Insgesamt muss aber gesagt werden, dass schon etwas an Vorkenntnissen über diese Periode der japanischen Geschichte vorhanden sein sollte, um das Werk auch wirklich entsprechend nutzen zu können - mir persönlich hat es sehr geholfen, vorher Yoshikawa Eijis Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan gelesen zu haben, das sich deutlich mehr auf die Person Hideyoshi konzentriert.

Ein dezenter aber angenehmer Kartoneinband hält mit guter Bindung das ebensolche Papier. Druckbild und Präsentation insgesamt sind gelungen, ein paar mehr Karten oder Abbildungen hätten bei manchen Kapiteln, die Armeebewegungen durch mehrere Provinzen oder die ständig wechselnden Daimyo-Ländereien beinhalten, nicht geschadet. Viele Endnoten mit Literaturhinweisen, zumeist auf unübersetzte japanische Werke, komplettieren das Werk.

[Eric Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is straight-up history, well-sourced and very informative. As a historian, it gave me everything I was looking for, even if the organization seemed a bit odd to me-- only sometimes chronological and often tangential.
For readers looking for any entertainment or color in a biography of one of the most colorful and important upstarts in Japanese history, this book is not the place to find it. For that purpose, I recommend "Taiko" by Eiji Yoshikawa.

[Robert Nugent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berry's 'Hideyoshi' is a stunning account of one of Japan's most influential historic leaders, the titular Toyotomi (Hashiba) Hideyoshi. Regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan during the Sengoku period in the late 16th century, Hideyoshi was successor to Oda Nobunaga and to later be succeeded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi, the subject of much artistic interpretation, is a figure I was eager to get to the truth of, and needless to say, 'Hideyoshi' delivered.

Throughout this book, Berry provides detailed information regarding Hideyoshi, spanning from his military career and rise to power, to civil policies and his census work that, while it can be a dull topic, illustrates just how well-researched this material is. For those who are serious about their research, there is no doubt that 'Hideyoshi' is the go-to resource for everything you need to know so that you can understand its titular figure, both the good and the bad.

To perhaps its only criticism, 'Hideyoshi' is what I stated above - for those who are serious about their research. If you are looking for a more narrative-driven historical work, then this book will be a challenge to read. Berry's writing is a gold mine of information and understanding, but it is not written descriptively to provoke excitement or feel as though you are consuming history through a more story-like lens. While I do not think there is anything wrong about that, I think many could pick up this book expecting one thing, and be disappointed to find it is another.

Considering everything I have said, I think to the "average" reader, 'Hideyoshi' probably scores as a 4/5, only hampered by its dry approach to what is, in truth, very exhilarating history. But for myself, Berry provided all the information I was looking for, and there's no denying the priceless value 'Hideyoshi' will serve as a personal resource to me for years to come.

[Luyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, very poor Chinese translation. Provided some insights I need.

[Harold Hoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hideyoshi fascinates me - and this is the best book available

[Morgan Eigel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I FUCKING HATE THIS CLASS SO MUCH

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great reference for anyone who has questions on specific aspects of Hideyoshi's military and political life and undertakings. This book provides a lot of information and analysis by an author who is more than qualified with diligent notes/references.

Beyond that, there isn't much else praise I can give. This book is organized in a very confusing way, sometimes reading chronologically and other times jumping back in time to talk about a time period already covered but with a different focus than before. This makes understanding the nature of Hideyoshi's rise to power and political strategy very difficult.

While the author certainly has a larger working vocabulary than I do, her superfluous writing style leaves much to be desired. I prefer succinctness and direct language over lofty, lengthy passages that dilute meaning.

The author provided a good deal of analysis and opinion which may be useful to some, but nearly all of it could be replaced by just stating that Hideyoshi's primary goal was to grow his power and stabilize that power by centralizing it. It's not some great mystery of hegemonic leadership but, unfortunately, much of the book chooses to ignore this.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hideyoshi was one of the most fascinating Japanese and the story of the rags to riches peasant to overlord in Japanese history. When he united Japan and assumed the title of Kampaku or regent, he then retired, taking the title "Taiko" from which we get the term tycoon.

Hideyoshi wanted to conquer China after uniting Japan and he invaded Korea in order to create a path to China. This war, during the Ming Wan-li reign goes by many names, but is the first war in East Asia to use muskets.

Hideyoshi ultimately loses as the war in Korea comes to a stalemate and the Japanese retreat, and soon after Hideyoshi's heir, his nephew Hideyori, is attacked. Tokugawa Ieyasu wins at Sekigahara and besieges Osaka castle soon after winning the title of Shogun.

Berry provides of the best studies of Hideyoshi (1982).

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berry captures the grand sweep of Japan's great unifier.: This book provides an excellent portrait of arguably the most important single individual in Japanese history. Berry's scholarship is abundantly informative without being heavy-handed. This account of Hideyoshi's life reads like a narrative and is rich with references from diverse resources. More important than that, however, is the respect Berry shows for the subject matter. She really captures the grand sweep of Hideyoshi's life, which was inseparable from the fate of Japan at the time. This is a must read for anyone interested in Japanese history or anyone wishing to deepen their appreciation of Japanese samurai movies that depict this period of time (the late 1500s).

[Phil (フィル) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berry's text is a comprehensive guide to the major events of the taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi's life and work. It provides a good background of the historical Sengoku Jidai and some of the key players in the history of Japan's later feudal ages. Indispensable to the serious scholar, the work should never the less appeal to a wider audience interested in the field.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. My favorite non-fiction is Medieval Japanese history, particularly the era of unification. This was the most interesting and readable biography of the three unifiers. Highly recommended

[Rebecca Anjali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hideyoshi is one of the most fascinating characters in Japanese history, Mary Elizabeth Berry does a wonderful job of presenting him.