Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Command #6

by Stephen Turnbull, Giuseppe Rava (Illustrator)

Arguably the greatest military commander in the history of the samurai, Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose from the ranks of the peasantry to rule over all Japan. A student of the great unifier Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi would later avenge the murder of his master at the battle of Yamazaki.

After consolidating his position, Hideyoshi went on the offensive, conquering the southern island of Kyushu in 1587 and defeating the Hojo in 1590. By 1591, he had accomplished the reunification of Japan. This book looks at the complete story of Hideyoshi's military accomplishments, from his days as a tactical leader to his domination of the Japanese nation.

Genres: History, Military History, Japan, Nonfiction, Japanese Literature, Japanese History, Leadership

64 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2006

About the author

Stephen Richard Turnbull is British a historian specializing in eastern military history, especially the samurai of Japan. His books are mainly on Japanese and Mongolian subjects. He attended Cambridge University where he gained his first degree. He currently holds an MA in Theology, MA in Military History and a PhD from the University of Leeds where he is currently a lecturer in Far Eastern Religions. He has also written a number of books on other medieval topics. He is semi-retired but still holds the post of Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University in Japan.

Reviews

[sohta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toyotomi hideyoshi is my favorite Japanses samurai. He was the first one to dominate everyone in japan. And this book adressed him very well. before I read this book, I always like to study about japanses history because their tactics, and their ways to inport and export was very interesting and how toyotomi did it was super insirational. And this book didnt disappoint me because All the information was true and some information was there which I didnt know about. I thought this book was very interesting book to read and study about Toyotomi hideyoshi.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick summery of the life of the great unifier of Japan, Hideyoshi. Born a peasant, he rose to control the whole of Japan. Invader of Korea, and master of Sengoku era battle, Hideyoshi was a fascinating but contradictory man. Rising from low birth, he made laws to insure no one else would follow that route by outlawing weapon ownership in the lower classes. The "monkey" (as Oda Nobunaga called him) was a master of culture and the tea ceremony, while also carrying out the brutal invasion of Korea. A man of his times.

[David Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining but brief biography of Japan's unifier who played a huge part in bringing the sengoku jidai (warring states period) to an end at the close of the sixteenth century. The text focuses on political and military developments in Hideyoshi's life, and is well-illustrated with historical paintings and drawings, contemporary artwork and photographs, and maps. By focusing so strongly on Hideyoshi and not delving more deeply into the life of the other great unifiers (Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu), this work feels like it's missing a bit of context and the larger narrative. This is part of the "Command" series by Osprey Publishers, but it does not noticeably focus on Hideyoshi's leadership style in a way that pulls the reader out of the discussion of historical events. Recommended for anyone interested in Japanese or military history.

[Guerino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breve volumetto che ripercorre l’ascesa e le battaglie di Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Lettura accademica, copre sommariamente tutte le battaglie maggiori di quella che è stata una delle tre figure chiave dell’unificazione del Giappone del periodo degli Stati combattenti. Suggerito a chi nutre una passione specifica per quel periodo storico o per la figura del “bountiful minister”, ma non vuole cimentarsi in letture troppo corpose.

[Ashutosh Tripathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good scholarship considering what I've seen earlier from Turnbull

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, readable overview of the life of a farmer's son who unified all of Japan and, building on the work of his former master, Oda Nobunaga, suceeded in pacifying the competing warlords and bringing an effective end to Japan's Sengoku (country at war) period. It was this accomplishment that paved the way to 200 years of peace under the later Tokugawa Shoguns. The emphasis on military details makes sense, as it was Hideyoshi's military accomplishments by which he is mostly remembered, but one day I look forward to reading a more complete biography.

[Skeetor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A consolidated but thorough recount of the major battles of the great Japanese leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This book gives only a brief overview of his life and rather concentrates on his leadership style, battle strategies and how he accomplished the reunification of Japan. The included maps, illustrations and photographs help capture the era in which Hideyoshi lived (1536-98). It is part of a “Command Series” by Osprey Publishing and other leaders in the series include Napoleon Bonaparte, George S. Patton and Julius Caesar.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new Osprey series for me--"Leadership, Strategy, Conflict." This slender volume is 64 pages long. In it, we meet Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who came to be recognized as a talented military leader and a fine leader overall. His military prowess and political skills helped unite Japan. He lived from 1536-1598 and, according to the book, has been compared with Napoleon Bonaparte. While brief, the book does provide a solid introduction to this major historical figure.