Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Japanese: 豊臣秀吉 - とよとみひでよし

A military commander in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He started out as a small-timer, succeeded Oda Nobunaga, unified the country, and established the foundations of early modern feudal society. He was the son of Yaemon, a farmer from Nakamura, Owari (Nakamura Ward, Nagoya City). His mother was born in Gokiso Village, Owari (Showa Ward, Nagoya City) and was named Naka (later Omandokoro). There are two theories about Hideyoshi's birth year. The "Taikou Sujoki" by Tomosada Tsuchiya states that he was born on the first day of the first month of the fifth year of the Tenbun, the year of the Monkey (1536), while the "Kanpaku Ninkanki" written by Hideyoshi's right-hand man, Yuki Omura, states that he was born on February 6th, the year of the Rooster (1536). It is unclear, but the theory that he was born in the year of the Monkey seems to have arisen from a strong connection with the theory that he was his childhood name, Hiyoshimaru, the theory that he was the child of Hiyoshi Daigongen, and his appearance, and today the latter theory is considered to be the most likely. Furthermore, perhaps due to his appearance, he was nicknamed "Kozaru" (little monkey) as a child, and as an adult he was called "Saru" (monkey) or "Hage Nezumi" (bald mouse).

[Masanobu Hashimoto]

Straight to success

When Hideyoshi was seven years old, his father Yaemon died of illness and his mother Naka remarried to Oda Nobuhide's tea ceremony accomplice Chikuami, so Hideyoshi spent some time under his foster father's care, but he eventually left home to become a samurai servant, serving Matsudaira Mototsuna, lord of Kuno Castle in Totomi, and then in 1554 (Tenbun 23), at the age of 18, he served as a servant to Oda Nobunaga, lord of Kiyosu Castle in Owari. His loyalty was outstanding, as symbolized by the episode in which he kept Nobunaga's sandals warm in his pocket. In 1561 (Eiroku 4), he married One, the adopted daughter of the archer Asano Nagakatsu (daughter of Sugihara Sadatsugu, later known as Kita no Mandokoro), and from this time he called himself Kinoshita Tōkichirō Hideyoshi. His agility and talent allowed him to rise to prominence, and in 1566 he built a castle at Sunomata (Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture), located on the border between Nobi and Oshu, and for this achievement he was promoted to a subordinate commander. In 1568, when Nobunaga traveled to Kyoto with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he served as one of the Kyoto magistrates. In the wars against the Asakura clan of Echizen and the Azai clan of Omi that began in 1570 (Genki 1), he distinguished himself in battles such as the Battle of Anegawa and the capture of Odani Castle. In 1573 (Tensho 1), he was given the Azai clan's castle and three counties in northern Omi, his former territory, and became a daimyo with a fief of 120,000 koku. In July of that year, he changed his name to Hashiba Tōkichirō Hideyoshi.

From this point on, he ruled over northern Omi as a feudal lord, building his castle in Imahama which he renamed Nagahama, and fighting in various places as Nobunaga's subordinate general, and playing an active role in the attack on the Echizen Ikko Ikki in 1575, and was appointed Chikuzen no Kami in December of the same year. When the confrontation with the Hongan-ji Temple of the Oda government soon became a major issue and the strategy for conquering China became urgent, Hideyoshi was selected as the supreme commander, and marched to Harima in 1577, setting up his base in Himeji Castle, and over the next five years he carried out strategies for conquering Harima, Bizen, Mimasaka, Tajima, and Inaba. In 1582, Hideyoshi marched to Bitchu and approached Takamatsu Castle, the base of Shimizu Muneharu, and laid siege to it with water. He waited for Nobunaga to come forward to confront the Mori forces, but Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnoji Incident while heading west. Upon hearing the news, Hideyoshi quickly made peace with the Mori clan, witnessed Muneharu's suicide, and returned to Himeji Castle with a ferocious forced march. He gathered his forces and fought in a battle to mourn his fallen lord, defeating Mitsuhide in the Battle of Yamazaki. This was just 11 days after the Honnoji Incident.

[Masanobu Hashimoto]

Unification of the world

At the Kiyosu Conference, where the Oda clan's senior retainers discussed how to resolve the situation after Nobunaga's death, Hideyoshi won over Niwa Nagahide and Ikeda Tsuneoki, among others, and suppressed the claims of his senior retainer Shibata Katsuie, thus setting out on the path to becoming Nobunaga's de facto successor. In 1583, Nobunaga's third son, Nobutaka, and Takigawa Kazumasu were plotting to overthrow Hideyoshi, but Nobunaga took the initiative and sent troops to Mino and Ise to attack them. He then defeated Katsuie, who responded by sending troops from Echizen to Omi, in the Battle of Shizugatake. He then invaded Echizen and destroyed the Shibata clan at Kitanosho Castle (Fukui City). He then pacified Kaga and Ecchu. He then encouraged Nobunaga's second son, Nobukatsu, to commit suicide, and defeated Kazumasu, bringing Owari and Ise under his control. He also had good relations with the powerful Mori clan in the Chugoku region. As he followed Nobunaga's footsteps and walked the firm path to becoming the hegemon of the whole country, he began construction of a castle in Osaka, a key location for the distribution of goods and land and sea transportation, to be a suitable castle for this purpose. In the following year, 1584, he suffered a heavy military blow in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute against the combined forces of Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu, but he used political means to appease Nobukatsu and concluded a peace agreement on favorable terms. In 1585, he defeated the Negoro and Saika rebellions in Kii that had risen up in support of Nobukatsu and Ieyasu, and then invaded Shikoku and defeated the Chosokabe clan. He encouraged Ieyasu to come to Kyoto by taking various measures, such as marrying off his younger sister (Asahihime), and in 1586, he made Ieyasu his vassal. During this time, in November 1584, he was promoted to Junior Third Rank and Gon Dainagon, and in March 1585, he was promoted to Senior Second Rank and Minister of the Interior. In July of the same year, he took advantage of the dispute over the position of Kanpaku among the regent families and became Kanpaku and Juichii as the adopted son of Konoe Ryuzan, rising to the top of the class-based society by borrowing ancient authority, and in December 1586, he became Daijo Daijin and was given the surname Toyotomi. After becoming Kanpaku, Hideyoshi invited Emperor Goyozei to visit Jurakudai, which had been newly built in Uchino, Kyoto as the government office of the Kanpaku government, in 1588, and had the daimyo in attendance, including Tokugawa Ieyasu, swear loyalty to Hideyoshi as well as to the emperor, demonstrating his command over the country backed by the traditional authority of the Imperial Court. In subjugating the country, he first used imperial edicts to order ceasefire or peace, and then attacked those who did not comply, citing disobedience to the imperial order. In 1587, he invaded Kyushu, defeated the Shimazu clan, divided the Kyushu region into provinces, took direct control of Hakata and Nagasaki, issued a ban on Christianity, and attempted to monopolize trade. In 1590, he invaded Odawara, destroyed the Hojo clan, and then pacified Oshu, achieving the unification of Japan.

In parallel with this unification project, Hideyoshi carried out land surveys year after year, but they were most active during the Bunroku era (1592-1596), which had nationwide impact. Also known as the Tensho Land Survey or the Taiko Land Survey, this survey reorganized the complex and layered land relationships of the Middle Ages, established a one-crop-per-lot system, implemented a kokudaka rice yield system, and promoted the separation of soldiers and farmers. Another important policy of Hideyoshi, alongside the Taiko Land Survey, was the Katanagari (sword hunt). The first example of confiscating weapons from peasants was in Kaga Province in 1576 (Tensho 4), but Hideyoshi first carried out a sword hunt in 1585 at Mount Koya and Mount Tonomine in order to disarm temples, which still had strong influence, and then, taking advantage of the opportunity to pacify Western Japan, issued a sword hunt edict for the entire country in 1588. This edict prohibited peasants in all provinces from possessing swords, wakizashi, bows, yari, guns, and other weapons, and ordered their confiscation. This was not an edict to abolish weapons in rural areas, but rather a prohibition on peasants possessing weapons, and was a class-based regulation intended to promote the separation of soldiers and farmers. At the same time as this sword hunt, Hideyoshi also issued an edict banning piracy. Then, the year after the Odawara Campaign, he issued a three-article document, forbidding samurai from becoming townspeople or farmers, and forbidding farmers from becoming townspeople or craftsmen, thereby attempting to fix the social classes of samurai, farmers, townspeople, and craftsmen. The Edo period's social hierarchy of samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants can indeed be traced back to this document.

[Masanobu Hashimoto]

A dream come true

In 1591 (Tensho 19), the year after he achieved national unification, Hideyoshi lost his beloved son Tsurumaru, whom he had with his concubine Yodo-dono, and in order to maintain his government through blood ties, he handed over the position of Kanpaku to his nephew Hidetsugu, called himself Taiko, and mobilized the full strength of the Toyotomi government to dispatch troops to Korea as an extension of his efforts to unify the country. As it was called at the time, "entering China," his goal was to first subjugate Korea and then subjugate the Ming Dynasty, a "temporary invasion of China," but Hideyoshi only revealed this plan in September 1585, just after he was appointed Kanpaku. There are various theories about the motives behind this, including that it was an attempt to restore trade with China and Korea, or that it was based on the idea of "leaving a good name in the Three Kingdoms." However, since the invasion of China was advocated as part of the process of national unification and was given great significance in stirring up war spirit and releasing the feudal lords' desire for territorial expansion towards the continent, the unification of the country had no choice but to be linked to the invasion of China.

In preparation for the dispatch of forces, Hideyoshi ordered the creation and submission of Gozencho records across the country in 1591 to ascertain the rice yield of each province, and in 1592 (Bunroku 1), Kanpaku Hidetsugu issued a population sweep order, which surveyed the number of households and people across the country. Hideyoshi then issued military orders to all daimyo throughout the country to dispatch forces to Korea, organizing an army of 160,000 men to conquer Ming China, and he himself traveled to the headquarters in Nagoya, Hizen, to take overall command. A large army led by Konishi Yukinaga and Kato Kiyomasa landed in Busan and captured the Korean capital in just 20 days. Encouraged by this initial victory, Hideyoshi came up with a plan to divide Japan, China, and Korea into three countries. Hideyoshi himself first entered Beijing, then established his residence in Ningbo, and even revealed his ambitious plan to conquer Tenjiku (India). This was nothing more than a fantasy that lacked any comprehensive judgment, but Hideyoshi's tragedy lay in the fact that he seriously considered it. Eventually, the arrival of a large Ming army, the recovery of Korean soldiers, and uprisings by righteous citizens prevented the war from progressing, and peace negotiations began with the Ming, but their aims were not compatible and the talks eventually broke down. In 1596 (Keicho 1), troops were dispatched to Korea again, but the fighting spirit was low, and the war continued until Hideyoshi died of illness and an order to withdraw was given. This is known as the Bunroku-Keicho War, and it was a major blow to the Toyotomi government and proved fatal.

Moreover, even within the government, a contradiction emerged between the Taiko and the regent Hidetsugu in terms of the way they governed, which was also intertwined with the issue of the succession of Hideyori, the son of Yodo-dono, and developed into the Hidetsugu Incident, in which Hidetsugu was forced to commit seppuku in order to ensure Hideyori's future security, but it also led to a situation in which Hideyoshi had to ask the daimyo for help with the future of the Toyotomi clan and the maintenance of the government. The system of the Five Commissioners and Five Elders was established in Hideyoshi's later years, and his last extravagant getaway was a grand cherry blossom viewing party at Daigo in the spring of 1598. Realizing that his death was drawing near, Hideyoshi wrote a will on August 5th in which he earnestly pleaded with the Five Elders for the future of the young Hideyori, and on the 18th of the same year, he ended his eventful life at the age of 62. His death poem was, "When the rain comes, the wrinkles appear, And the things of Naniwa are like a dream within a dream."

[Masanobu Hashimoto]

"History of the Toyotomi Period" by Yoshinari Tanaka (1925, Meiji Shoin) " "Study of Toyotomi Hideyoshi" by Tadachika Kuwata (1941, Kadokawa Shoten) " "Toyotomi Peace Order and Warring States Society" by Hisashi Fujiki (1985, University of Tokyo Press)

Toyotomi Hideyoshi
"Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Praise for Nankagenko" Partial copy owned by the Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo © Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo ">

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s joinery and horse banners
From the right: flag, horse banner, mother's clothing, bansashimono, large horse banner, bansashimono. "Goumajirushi" Volume 4, Kan'ei era (1624-1644), owned by the National Diet Library .

Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s joinery and horse banners

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's signature
©Shogakukan ">

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's signature

Hideyoshi Toyotomi's red seal
A red seal letter addressed to Judge Seta. 1585 (Tensho 13). Copy held at the National Diet Library .

Hideyoshi Toyotomi's red seal

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

安土(あづち)桃山時代の武将。小者から身をおこし、織田信長の後を継いで天下を統一し、近世封建社会の基礎を確立した。尾張(おわり)中村（名古屋市中村区）の百姓弥右衛門(やえもん)の子。母は尾張御器所(ごきそ)村（名古屋市昭和区）の生まれで、名はなか（後の大政所(おおまんどころ)）。秀吉の生年については2説あり、土屋知貞(ともさだ)の『太閤素生記(たいこうすじょうき)』などには天文(てんぶん)5年申歳(さるどし)（1536）の正月元日生まれとし、秀吉が右筆(ゆうひつ)の大村由己(ゆうこ)に命じて書かせた『関白任官記』などには天文6年酉(とり)歳の2月6日とし、判然としないが、申歳生まれ説は、幼名の日吉丸(ひよしまる)説、日吉大権現(だいごんげん)の申し子説やその容貌(ようぼう)とも深く結び付いて生じたもののようで、今日では後者が有力視されている。なお、その容貌からであろう、幼時にはあだ名を小猿(こざる)、長じてからは猿とか、はげ鼠(ねずみ)と称された。

［橋本政宣］

出世一途

秀吉7歳のとき、父弥右衛門が病死し、母なかは織田信秀の茶同朋(ちゃどうぼう)筑阿弥(ちくあみ)に再嫁したので、秀吉も養父のもとで一時期を過ごしたが、やがて武家奉公を志して家を出て、遠江(とおとうみ)久能(くのう)の城主松平元綱に仕え、ついで1554年（天文23）18歳のとき、尾張清洲(きよす)の城主であった織田信長に小者として仕えた。その忠勤ぶりは、信長の草履(ぞうり)を懐中で温めていたというエピソードに象徴されるように抜群のものがあった。1561年（永禄4）、弓の衆浅野長勝の養女おね（杉原定利の女(むすめ)、後の北政所(きたのまんどころ)）を娶(めと)り、このころから木下藤吉郎(とうきちろう)秀吉を名のり、その機敏な行動と才覚によっていよいよ頭角を現し、1566年には濃尾(のうび)国境に位置する墨俣(すのまた)（岐阜県大垣(おおがき)市）に築城し、美濃(みの)攻略の拠点を確保した功により部将に取り立てられ、1568年信長が足利義昭(あしかがよしあき)を擁して上洛(じょうらく)すると、京都の奉行(ぶぎょう)の一人として活動した。1570年（元亀1）から始まる越前(えちぜん)朝倉氏、近江(おうみ)浅井氏との戦いでは、姉川の戦い、小谷(おだに)城の攻略などで戦功をたて、1573年（天正1）、浅井氏の居城・旧領北近江3郡を与えられ、12万石の大名となり、この年7月には、木下を改め羽柴(はしば)藤吉郎秀吉と名のる。

　これより領主として北近江支配にあたり、今浜に居城を築き長浜と改めるとともに、信長の部将として各地に転戦し、1575年の越前一向一揆(いっこういっき)攻めには大いに活躍し、この年12月には筑前守(ちくぜんのかみ)に任じられた。やがて織田政権の本願寺との対決が重要課題となって中国経略が緊急性を帯びてくると、秀吉はその総大将に抜擢(ばってき)され、1577年播磨(はりま)に出陣して姫路城に本拠を置き、これより約5年の歳月を要して播磨・備前(びぜん)・美作(みまさか)・但馬(たじま)・因幡(いなば)の経略を行う。1582年備中(びっちゅう)に出兵し、清水宗治(しみずむねはる)の拠(よ)る高松城に迫って水攻めにし、毛利勢と対決すべく、信長の出馬を待ったが、信長はその西下の途中、明智光秀(あけちみつひで)のために本能寺の変で横死した。秀吉は変報に接するや、急遽(きゅうきょ)毛利氏と講和することに成功し、宗治の切腹を見届け、すさまじい強行軍で姫路城に帰着し、軍勢を整えて亡君の弔(とむらい)合戦に挑み、光秀を山崎の戦いで破った。本能寺の変後わずか11日目のことである。

［橋本政宣］

天下統一

信長死後の事態の収拾策を織田家の重臣が協議した清洲会議において、秀吉は丹羽長秀(にわながひで)・池田恒興(つねおき)などを味方につけ宿老柴田(しばた)勝家の主張を抑え、実質的な信長後継者としての道を踏み出す。1583年、秀吉打倒を策する信長の三男信孝(のぶたか)、滝川一益(かずます)に対し、その機先を制して美濃・伊勢(いせ)に出兵して攻め、ついでこれに呼応して越前より近江に出兵してきた勝家を賤ヶ岳(しずがたけ)の戦いで破り、越前に攻め入って北庄(きたのしょう)城（福井市）の柴田氏を滅ぼし、さらに加賀・越中(えっちゅう)を平定し、ついで信長の次男信雄(のぶかつ)に働きかけて信孝を自殺させるとともに、一益を降(くだ)して尾張・伊勢を支配下に入れる。中国の雄毛利氏もまた好(よしみ)を通じてくる。このように信長の後を受けて全国覇者となる確固たる道を歩むなかで、それにふさわしい城として、商品流通・水陸交通の要地でもある大坂に築城の工を起こした。翌1584年、信雄・徳川家康の連合軍と争った小牧(こまき)・長久手(ながくて)の戦いでは、軍事的には手痛い打撃を受けたものの、政治的手段を弄(ろう)して信雄を懐柔し、有利な条件で和議を結び、1585年、信雄・家康に呼応して蜂起(ほうき)した紀伊根来(ねごろ)・雑賀(さいか)の一揆を討伐し、ついで四国征伐を行って長宗我部(ちょうそがべ)氏を降した。そして家康に対しては、実妹（旭(あさひ)姫）を嫁がせるなどの種々の方策をとって上洛を促し、1586年、家康を臣従させた。この間、1584年11月、従三位(じゅさんみ)・権大納言(ごんだいなごん)となり、1585年3月、正二位・内大臣となり、同年7月、摂家間で関白職をめぐって争っていたのに乗じ、近衛龍山(このえりゅうざん)の猶子(ゆうし)として関白・従一位となり、古代的な権威を借りて身分制社会の頂点にたち、1586年12月には太政(だいじょう)大臣となり、豊臣の姓を賜った。関白となった秀吉は、1588年、関白政権の政庁として京都内野に新築なった聚楽第(じゅらくだい)に後陽成(ごようぜい)天皇の行幸を仰ぎ、徳川家康をはじめとする列席の諸大名に天皇への忠誠とともに秀吉への忠誠を誓わせ、朝廷の伝統的権威を背景にして天下に号令することを示した。国内平定においても、まず勅諚(ちょくじょう)をかざして停戦や講和を命じ、これに応じないときには勅命に背くとして征伐した。1587年には九州征伐を行って島津氏を降し、九州の国割りを行うとともに、博多(はかた)・長崎を直轄化し、キリシタン禁令を発し、貿易の独占を図った。1590年、小田原征伐を行って北条氏を滅ぼし、さらに奥州を平定して、ここに天下統一を成し遂げた。

　この統一事業に並行して、秀吉は連年のごとく検地を実施してきたが、文禄(ぶんろく)年間（1592～1596）にもっとも盛んに行い全国的に及ぼした。天正(てんしょう)の石直(こくなお)しとも、太閤検地ともいい、中世の複雑に重層した土地関係を整理し、一地一作人制を確立し石高(こくだか)制を実施し、兵農分離を促進した。太閤検地と並ぶ秀吉の重要施策に刀狩(かたながり)がある。農民から武器を没収することは、1576年（天正4）に柴田勝家が加賀国で行った例があるが、秀吉はまず1585年になお根強い力をもっていた寺院の武装を解除するため、高野山(こうやさん)、多武峰(とうのみね)などの刀狩を行い、ついで西日本を平定した時機をねらって、1588年には全国的に刀狩令を出した。諸国の百姓が刀・脇差(わきざし)・弓・鑓(やり)・鉄炮(てっぽう)その他の武器をもつことを禁じ、これを没収することを命じたこの法令は、農村の武器廃絶令ではなく百姓の武具所持禁令というべきもので、身分制的な規制であって、兵農分離の促進を意図したものであった。なお、この刀狩と同時に、海賊禁止令を出している。ついで小田原征伐の翌年、3か条の定書(さだめがき)を出し、侍身分の者が町人や百姓になること、百姓が町人や職人になることを禁じ、武士・百姓・町人・職人の身分の固定化を図った。江戸時代の士農工商の身分秩序は実にこの定書に濫觴(らんしょう)している。

［橋本政宣］

夢のまた夢

天下統一を成し遂げた翌1591年（天正19）、側室淀殿(よどどの)との間にもうけた愛児鶴丸(つるまる)を喪(うしな)った秀吉は、血縁による政権の維持を図るため、関白職を甥(おい)の秀次(ひでつぐ)に譲り、自らは太閤と称し、豊臣政権の総力をあげて国内統一の延長線上に朝鮮出兵を敢行していく。当時「唐(から)入り」と称されたごとく、まず朝鮮を従え明(みん)国を服属させるという「仮道入明(かどうにゅうみん)」を目的としたものであるが、秀吉がこの計画を明らかにしたのは、関白任官の直後にあたる1585年9月であった。その動機については諸説があり、中国・朝鮮との貿易回復をねらったもの、「佳名を三国にのこす」考えから出たもの、などといわれているが、唐入りは国内統一の過程のなかで標榜(ひょうぼう)され、戦争意欲をあおり領主層の領土拡張の欲望を大陸に向け放出させることに大きな意味をもたされてきた以上、天下統一が唐入りに連ならざるをえなかった。

　出兵にあたり秀吉は、これを支える物質的基盤を調査するため、1591年全国に御前帳を作成して提出することを命じて、国ごとの石高の把握をなし、1592年（文禄1）、関白秀次により人掃(ひとばらい)令が出され、全国の家数・人数の調査が行われた。そして秀吉は全国の諸大名に朝鮮出兵の軍令を下して征明軍16万人を編成し、自らも肥前名護屋(なごや)の本陣に赴いて、総指揮にあたった。小西行長・加藤清正を先鋒(せんぽう)とする大軍は釜山(ふざん)に上陸し、わずか20日のうちに朝鮮の首都を陥落させ、この緒戦の勝利に気をよくした秀吉は、日本、中国、朝鮮にまたがる三国国割り計画を打ち出し、秀吉自身は、まず北京(ペキン)に入り、ついで寧波(ニンポー)に居所を定め、進んで天竺(てんじく)（インド）を征服するという遠大な構想をも吐露している。これはまさに大局的判断を欠いた空想にすぎないものであったが、これをまじめに考えていたところに秀吉の悲劇があった。やがて明の大軍の到着、朝鮮兵の立ち直り、義兵民の蜂起(ほうき)などによって、戦局は進展せず、明との和議交渉に入ったが、互いの思惑は相いれるはずもなく、やがて決裂し、1596年（慶長1）ふたたび朝鮮出兵となるが、戦意も盛り上がらず、秀吉の病死によって撤兵命令が出されるまで、延々と戦争が続けられた。これを文禄(ぶんろく)・慶長(けいちょう)の役というが、これは豊臣政権にとって大きな痛手となり命取りとなった。

　しかも、政権内部においても、太閤と関白秀次との間に統治権的なあり方からの矛盾が顕在化し、これは淀殿所生の秀頼(ひでより)の継嗣(けいし)問題とも絡んで、秀次事件へと発展し、秀次を切腹させることで秀頼の将来の安泰を図ったが、諸大名に豊臣家の行く末と政権の維持を依頼しなければならない状況を招いた。五奉行・五大老の制が整備されるのは秀吉晩年に至ってのことで、1598年の春に盛大に醍醐(だいご)の花見を行ったのが最後の豪遊となり、死期の迫るのを悟った秀吉は、8月5日五大老に幼い秀頼の将来のことをせつせつと訴えた遺言状を認(したた)め、同18日に波瀾(はらん)に富んだ62歳の生涯を閉じた。「つゆとをちつゆときへにしわがみかな　難波(なにわ)の事もゆめの又ゆめ」が辞世の和歌であった。

［橋本政宣］

『田中義成著『豊臣時代史』（1925・明治書院）』▽『桑田忠親著『豊臣秀吉研究』（1941・角川書店）』▽『藤木久志著『豊臣平和令と戦国社会』（1985・東京大学出版会）』