Toyotomi Hidenaga (1/2)The capable younger brother of the ruler of the world

During the Sengoku period, successful warlords had the support of capable relatives and vassals called Fudai. Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose from peasants to power in one generation, and unlike other Sengoku warlords, he did not have reliable relatives or vassals called Fudai, so his younger brother, Toyotomi Hidenaga, was a valuable asset to him. He made up for his older brother Hideyoshi's shortcomings, and used his abilities to greatly help unify the country. This time, we will introduce the life of Toyotomi Hidenaga.

From birth to adulthood, to serving under Oda Nobunaga

He was born in 1540 in Nakamura, Aichi County, Owari Province (present-day Nakamura Ward, Nagoya City) as the son of Takeami and Hideyoshi's half-brother (some say he was his full brother). It is commonly believed that he was called Kochiku as a child, but no documents remain to confirm this. He later changed his name to Koichiro, and when he entered the service of his older brother Hideyoshi, he was known as Kinoshita Koichiro Nagahide.

During the battle against Saito Tatsuoki in Mino Province, it is said that he often served as the castle's caretaker in place of Hideyoshi, who was participating in the battles of Oda Nobunaga.

In 1573, Hideyoshi became the lord of Nagahama Castle for his achievement in defeating Azai Hisamasa and Nagamasa, father and son, and he served as the castle's lord. Three years later, in 1576, Todo Takatora, who became Hidenaga's right-hand man, entered his service, and this relationship of master and servant continued until the early death of Hidenaga's adopted son, Hideyasu.

According to the "Shincho Koki," in 1574, Hideyoshi was unable to march out to battle against the Echizen Ikko Ikki, so he marched on his behalf to suppress the Nagashima Ikko Ikki.
In 1575, he was given the surname Hashiba.

When Hideyoshi was ordered by Nobunaga to become the commander-in-chief of the attack on Chugoku, he was entrusted with the command of the San'in Road and the subjugation of Tajima Province. In a handwritten letter from Hideyoshi to Kuroda Yoshitaka (Kuroda Kanbei), the name "Koichiro" (Hidenaga's nickname) appears as a synonym for trust, making him one of the most important figures in Hideyoshi's camp.

In 1577, he accompanied Hideyoshi to Harima Province, and later participated in the siege of Tajima. After Takeda Castle fell to Saimura Masahiro (Battle of Takeda Castle), he was appointed as the castle lord.

In 1578, Nagaharu Bessho rebelled in the eastern Harima region, and together with his brother, he devoted himself to suppressing the rebellion, and once again attacked Tajima, where his control had been weakened. In the same year, he participated as a reinforcement in the Battle of Kuroi Castle.

In 1579, the 7th year of Tensho, they attacked Nyuyama to cut off supplies to Miki Castle, led by Bessho Nagaharu. They then attacked Anegao Castle, but were forced to retreat due to a plan by Anegao Sadanori. However, Sadanori set fire to the castle and retreated to Miki Castle, successfully cutting off the supply line (Battle of Miki). From Takeda Castle in Tajima, they attacked Amada and Ika districts in northern Tanba, capturing Ayabe Castle of the Eda clan and forcing it to fall. In January 1580, the Bessho clan committed seppuku, bringing the Battle of Miki to an end.

The Tajima period

In April 1580, Hideyoshi's forces captured Arikoyama Castle in Tajima Province, achieving his long-cherished wish to pacify Tajima Province. After the war, Hidenaga was given 105,000 koku of rice in seven districts in Tajima Province and two districts in Harima Province. In May of the same year, he entered Arikoyama Castle. Suketoyo's son, Yamana Takahiro, was employed as a retainer of the Hashiba clan and participated in the siege of Tottori Castle. As a result, many of the former retainers of the Yamana clan and Tajima local lords became retainers of the Hashiba clan.

In March 1581, when Yoshikawa Tsuneie of the Mori clan entered Tottori Castle, Hideyoshi surrounded the castle and began a siege (Battle of Tottori Castle). Hidenaga was also in command of one of the camp castles surrounding Tottori Castle, and the war ended in October of the same year when Tsuneie committed seppuku.

In April 1582, Hideyoshi's forces surrounded Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu and conducted the famous water siege (Battle of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu). Hidenaga set up camp near Mount Drum and participated in the battle. In June, the lord of the castle, Muneharu Shimizu, committed seppuku (ritual suicide) as a result of the water siege.
However, an event then occurred that would bring about a major change in the mission.

From the Honnoji Incident to the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

On June 2, 1582 (June 21, 1582), Oda Nobunaga was killed violently as a result of a rebellion led by Akechi Mitsuhide (the Honnoji Incident).

Hideyoshi's army, who found out about this before the other Oda clan vassals, immediately concluded a peace agreement with the Mori clan, with whom they were fighting, and began a rapid withdrawal to Kinai. In accordance with Hideyoshi's so-called "Great Return from the Chugoku region," Hidenaga returned to the battlefield with them, and participated in the Battle of Yamazaki, where Akechi Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi faced off, and defended Mount Tennozan together with Kuroda Yoshitaka (Kuroda Kanbei).

In 1583, he participated in the Battle of Shizugatake against Shibata Katsuie, and deployed his forces on Mount Tagami to defend Kinomoto's main camp until Hideyoshi's "Mino-O-gaeshi" (Great Return to Mino). In the same year, he was appointed as the governor of Mino and bestowed the two provinces of Tajima and Harima, and made Arikoyama Castle and Himeji Castle his residence.

In 1584, a conflict arose between Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, leading to the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute. Hidenaga marched to Ise, which was under the control of Oda Nobukatsu, who had allied with Ieyasu, and supported Ieyasu by taking Matsugashima Castle. The fact that Hidenaga personally negotiated with Nobukatsu on behalf of Hideyoshi shows how much he trusted him.

During this battle, his nephew, Hashiba Hidetsugu, made a mistake and was reprimanded by Hideyoshi, but he served alongside Hidenaga in the subsequent expedition to Kii and Shikoku, and worked hard to restore Hidetsugu's trust in Hideyoshi.

His official rank became Dainagon.

In 1585, he was appointed as Hideyoshi's vice-commander along with his nephew Hidetsugu during the Kii Conquest, and participated in the siege of Ota Castle. After the conquest of Kii, Hideyoshi awarded him a fief of about 640,000 koku in Kii and Izumi as a reward for his achievements. In the same year, he appointed Todo Takatora as the construction magistrate for Wakayama Castle, which would become his castle.

In June of the same year, he was appointed commander-in-chief of an army of over 100,000 men in place of Hideyoshi, who was unable to march due to illness, during the invasion of Shikoku, and he himself marched to Awa.

However, the resistance from the Chosokabe clan was very fierce, and the invasion was delayed due to the joint forces of the Mori clan and the Ukita clan.

Hideyoshi, concerned, offered to send reinforcements, but Hidenaga sent a letter of refusal to Hideyoshi, and then took Ichinomiya Castle, forcing Chosokabe Motochika to surrender. On August 18 of the same year (leap month), Hidenaga was rewarded for his achievement in defeating Motochika, and was granted additional lands in Kii Province, Kawachi Province, and Yamato Province, giving him a total of 1 million koku of rice, and entered Koriyama Castle. However, it is said that his actual rice yield was only 734,000 koku.

Hidenaga's territories of Kii, Yamato and Kawachi were not easy to govern, as temples and shrines were particularly powerful even after he had pacified them. However, considering that he sometimes took harsh measures to resolve various issues, but did not leave any major problems behind, it can be said that he was also a shrewd man in domestic affairs.

In fact, there are records of him implementing many policies around the same time he entered Yamato, such as issuing notices to track down thieves (Langfang family documents), conducting land surveys (single family documents), and establishing a total of five rules (Horyuji documents). He also implemented a wide range of policies, such as opening a kiln to produce Yamato pottery, Akahada ware. It was around this time that he was given his real surname, Toyotomi.

He was given the official rank of Junior Second Rank and Dainagon, and came to be called Yamato Dainagon.

From middle age to old age

The Tamonin Diary records that on February 8, 1586 (March 27, 1586), he entered Yuyama, Arima, Settsu Province.
It is said that around this time, his health began to deteriorate, and he continued to visit the hot springs for healing several times after this. There are also records of Konzo-in and Hoko-in temples visiting him while he was undergoing healing, and of an envoy from Hongan-ji Kennyo also visiting him.