Letter by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Secretary
- Person
-
作者豊臣秀吉（右筆）
- Date
-
制作年 AD16
- Title
- トヨトミヒデヨシ（ユウヒツ）ショジョウ
- Materials, techniques and shape
- Ink on paper
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001075-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Font Gesture Art Handwriting Pattern
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98) was the Momoyama general who ascended from peasantry to generalissimo and eventually unified the nation. Originally from a village in Owari Province, his early name was Kinoshita Tokichiro. After he began to serve Lord Oda Nobunaga (1534-82), he led many battles to victory and was promoted accordingly until he was given the new clan name of Hashiba. In 1573, upon the fall of the Asano clan, he was bestowed with their estate, but, in the following year, he was appointed Lord of Nagahama Castle in Ohmi Province (Shiga Prefecture). While he was attacking Takamatsu Castle in Bicchu (Okayama Prefecture), the Honnoji coup d’etat erupted in Kyoto. Immediately, he signed a truce with the Mohri clan he was attacking and returned to Kyoto. In the Battle of Yamazaki, he defeated Akechi Mitsuhide (?-1582), who had assassinated Nobunaga. Subsequently a bitter feud developed in the selection of Nobunaga’s heir. But Hideyoshi emerged successful, destroying Oda Nobutaka (1558-83) and Shibata Katsuiye (1522-83). He then built Osaka Castle. Thereafter, Hideyoshi’s life was spent in military campaigns through most parts of Japan. He was victorious in the Komaki Nagakute Battle, his campaigns to Kyushu (southern Japan) and Shikoku (western Japan) and in Odawara (Kanagawa Prefecture), where he defeated the Hojo clan. He also crushed enemies in northern Japan. Thus he brought generals and warlords of the entire nation under his control, finally unifying the nation.During all these warring years, Hideyoshi’s rank, bestowed by the Imperial court, advanced from Kampaku (Senior Regent) to Chancellor. He transferred the Kampaku title to his nephew Hidetsugu (1568-95), and called himself Taiko, or Retired Regent. During the Bunroku and Keicho eras, he waged two campaigns to conquer the Korean Peninsula and further attempted to conquer the Ming Dynasty of China, but he failed in these attempts and died at Fushimi Castle, only three years after the defeat in Keicho Battle in Korea. His was the most unprecedented ruler in the entire history of Japan.This extant letter is signed by Hideyoshi but was actually written by his secretary, Kusunoki Choan (1520-96). The “honorable trip” in the letter refers to the trip Emperor Goyozei (1571-1617) made in 1588 to Jurakudai Mansion (a huge castle-style mansion built by Hideyoshi in Kyoto, surrounded by stone walls). He invited the 18-year-old Emperor to his private mansion in an ostensive show of power and influence to the rest of his countrymen. After the trip was carried out uneventfully, Hideyoshi, greatly relieved and happy, composed three poems. The poems were transcribed onto three tanzaku (paper strips) by the Emperor’s courtiers; one was dedicated to the Emperor, the other to the Retired Emperor Ogimachi (1517-93). The letter shown here accompanied one of those tanzaku.
今度行幸忝次第即令参内雖可申上候先為祝詞此三首進上候宜有御披露候仙洞へも被懸御目可然候者取成専一候也謹言四月廿日（花押）菊亭殿勧修寺殿中山殿
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- Title (EN)
- Letter by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Secretary
Physical description
- Weights and quantities
-
Quantity 1幅
- Attachments
- 外箱（二重箱）、巻止め、借用願1通、借用證1通、礼状1通
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