Toyotomi forcesHashiba → Toyotomi
Toyotomi Hidenaga
豊臣秀長
“The Major Counsellor of Yamato”
1540–1591 (aged 52)
- Rank / office
- Junior Second Rank, Provisional Major Counsellor
- Domain / base
- Yamato, Kii and Izumi (Kōriyama Castle)
- Banner / crest
- Paulownia
- Battles in 3D
- 6 battles
Portrait · Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Born at Nakamura in Owari as Hashiba Hideyoshi's younger brother, he followed early the brother who had risen from the peasantry. Rather than flashy feats of arms, he showed rare talent for intrigue, administration, logistics and the management of the other commanders, and supported his brother's rise from behind the scenes. In the western campaign he pacified Tajima and Inaba, and after Honnō-ji he attended the Kiyosu conference with his brother. As commander-in-chief of the invasion of Shikoku in Tenshō 13 he forced Chōsokabe Motochika to surrender, and in the Kyushu campaign he led the Hyūga front and beat the Shimazu at Nejirozaka. His mild, sincere character won trust from friend and foe alike; he held about a million koku in Yamato, Kii and Izumi from Kōriyama Castle. As the "mediator" standing between Hideyoshi and the proud daimyo he stabilised the regime, but died of illness in Tenshō 19. So deeply was he missed that people said, "If only Hidenaga had lived," and his death marked the beginning of the Toyotomi decline.
Life and battlesGold dots mark battles you can watch in 3D
- 1540Tenbun 9
Birth
Born at Nakamura in Owari, according to tradition, as the younger brother of the future Hideyoshi.
- 1577Tenshō 5
The Western Campaign
Followed his brother's western army and won distinction pacifying Tajima and Inaba.
- 1581
Siege of Tottori
Hideyoshi's brother. He pacified Tajima, entered Inaba and held the western side, blocking the route of any Mōri relief: an unglamorous but reliable contribution.
Tottori Castle, Inaba Province 6,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1582
Battle of Yamazaki
Eleven days after Honnō-ji. Hideyoshi, back from the west in the Great Return, ends Akechi Mitsuhide's "three-day reign" on rain-soaked Mount Tennō.
Yamazaki, Yamashiro Province Watch in 3D › - 1583Tenshō 11
Shizugatake
Took part in Shizugatake, where his brother beat Shibata Katsuie, and helped establish his supremacy.
Battle of Shizugatake Watch in 3D › - 1584
Battle of Komaki and Nagakute
Ieyasu pursues Hideyoshi's detached force through the night as it heads for Mikawa, and destroys it at Nagakute. The only battle in which Ieyasu ever took on Hideyoshi.
Nagakute, Owari Province Watch in 3D › - 1585Tenshō 13
Invasion of Shikoku; Major Counsellor of Yamato
Commanded the invasion of Shikoku, received Kii and Yamato in addition and became lord of Kōriyama Castle.
Invasion of Shikoku Commander-in-chief 25,000 troops Watch in 3D › Commander-in-chief of the invasion. He led the expedition in his brother's place and took Ichinomiya not by storm but by cutting off its water: the loyal deputy at his finest. - 1587Tenshō 15
Kyushu Campaign; Nejirozaka
Led the Hyūga front in the Kyushu campaign and beat the Shimazu at the battle of Nejirozaka.
Battle of Nejirozaka Commander-in-chief 12,000 troops Watch in 3D › Hideyoshi's brother and commander-in-chief of the Hyūga front in the Kyushu campaign. He weathered the night attack, ordered a counterattack at dawn and shattered the Shimazu offensive: the generalship of "the finest deputy in the realm." - 1591Tenshō 19
Death
Died of illness at Kōriyama Castle. Without its deputy, the Toyotomi regime lost its power of mediation.
Related sites
FAQ
Who was Toyotomi Hidenaga?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's younger brother, the "finest deputy in the realm," who supported him all his life. Gifted in war, administration and diplomacy, he held about a million koku in Yamato, Kii and Izumi.
How did Hidenaga die?
He died of illness at his castle of Yamato Kōriyama in Tenshō 19 (1591), aged 52. Having lost the mediator who stood between Hideyoshi and the daimyo, the Toyotomi regime is said to have begun to unravel after his death.
Which battles did Hidenaga take part in?
The western campaign, Yamazaki, Shizugatake, the invasion of Shikoku and the Kyushu campaign (the battle of Nejirozaka), among others. He was commander-in-chief of the invasion of Shikoku, where he forced Chōsokabe Motochika to surrender.
