ABSTRACT
Toyotomi Hideyoshi ended a century-long civil war in Japan by negotiating with or conquering rebellious local lords and by imposing on the Japanese a social code that restricted the possibility of civil strife. He became a messenger in the army of a local daimyo, Imagawa Yoshimoto, and, in 1558, joined the army of a more powerful daimyo, Oda Norabunga, who was trying to bring all of Japan's daimyo under his control. Through sheer martial ability, Hideyoshi rose in the ranks of Norabungas army, participating in his 1568 attack on Kyoto and in the infamous 1571 destruction of Enryakuji, the center of the influential Tendai Buddhist sect. As Japan's de facto political leader, and in the aftermath of a century of disunity and destruction, Hideyoshi made peace with his enemies. To show that he did not seek to reign over the daimyo, Hideyoshi shunned the title of shogun, posing instead as an advisor to the emperor.
