NHK Taiga “Toyotomi Brothers! If Hidenaga had lived, Toyotomi would have been safe and sound… is that a lie? What is the true relationship between the brothers?

He was only one of the bakunin.”

The NHK Taiga Drama in 2014 will be “Toyotomi Brothers! The NHK Taiga Drama in 2014 will be “Toyotomi Brothers! The main character is Hidenaga, the younger brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi of “Tenkajin” fame, who served as an aide to his elder brother. The film depicts the brothers’ rise to power and their unification of the country. What was the significance of having Hidenaga there? Professor Kazuto Hongo of the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Historical Records and author of “Toyotomi’s Brothers: What Hidenaga Means to Hideyoshi” (Kawade Shinsho) analyzes “Hideyoshi, a man of grand ideas, and Hidenaga, a coordinator who worked hard to realize those plans,” and says, “Hidenaga was a very talented coordinator.

Hidenaga is a very talented coordinator, but he is not outstanding in his abilities. After Hidenaga passed away, Mitsunari Ishida and Nagamasa Asano took over his role, and I see him as just one of the bureaucrats who supported Hideyoshi, not an outstanding person who cannot be replaced.

When the Honnoji Incident occurred, Hideyoshi had his 20,000-strong army run from Bitchu Takamatsu Castle (Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture) to Kyoto, a distance of 200 km, in 10 days to carry out the “Great Return to China. Under normal circumstances, immediately after the death of Nobunaga Oda in the Honnoji Incident, it is normal to “watch the situation” as Katsuie Shibata, the top retainer of the shogunate, did. They do not move immediately to assess the situation, gather information, and read the flow of events.

However, Hideyoshi saw “the road to the ruling power” and decided that he should take immediate action. This insanity in a good sense, which ordinary people do not have, is the reason why he was able to defeat Akechi Mitsuhide and Shibata Katsuie, who were both men of common sense.

Even when Hideyoshi came up with the idea of the “Great Return to China,” only a small percentage of the personnel could travel on horseback, and most of them would have to travel by clerks. The majority of the army would have to be transported by foot soldiers, and armor and weapons, which would be a burden during the journey, would have to be transported by separate transport.

In order to realize Hideyoshi’s grand plan, it was necessary to arrange food, drinking water, and alcohol in the villages that would serve as relay points. It was probably Hidenaga who moved in that case. Instead of robbing and marching into the village, he negotiated with the village chief, bought food, and made sure that he would not cause any disasters.

If he later wanted to incorporate the village into one of his territories, it was not a good idea to leave a trail of destruction in his wake by slaying him and taking his food. They would have paid the price, or negotiated with the local people, saying, “If you become our lord, we will give you a discount on next year’s tribute,” and then marched off to war. They were not just heading for Kyoto at a moment’s notice, but they were also thinking of how they would rule later.

Deskwork” rather than “spearwork

Hideyoshi sought his vassals’ abilities in desk work, such as securing food, weapons, and ammunition, rather than in spear work on the battlefield. Even Tokugawa Ieyasu’s evaluation of human resources was based mainly on their performance on the battlefield. However, Hideyoshi evaluated the performance of those who had achieved results in desk work even if they were not active on the battlefield, and appointed them to important positions. The criteria for evaluating human resources are different from those of other feudal lords of the Warring States period.

He was from a peasant background, so he had the idea that ‘fighting is eating. The hardship of eating and the idea that you can work only when you are full are ingrained in his bones. This is a big difference from the sons of feudal lords. They fight only after they have made a plan to replenish their supplies. They know from birth that supply is the difference between victory and defeat in battle.

In addition, a warrior does not enjoy the full trust of his family just because they are his immediate family. In the medieval period, the position of the “younger brother” was that of an assistant but also “a threat to the elder brother. If the younger brother is superior, it could be the cause of a family uproar. Minamoto no Yoritomo, Ashikaga Takauji, Oda Nobunaga, Date Masamune, and many others have killed their own brothers and established their bases of power.

Hidenaga was a wise man who was determined not to threaten his brother’s authority. Throughout his life, he never challenged Hideyoshi. Because he knew how not to threaten his brother’s authority, he gained Hideyoshi’s trust and rose to the number two position in the Toyotomi administration. However, the relationship between the two was that of a despot and a vassal. He was promoted not because he was his immediate family, but because he was an excellent person who could be used.

Hideyoshi also had a ruthless side. His nephew Hideji was initially favored as his successor and given the title of Kanpaku, but when Hideyori was born, he was suspected of rebellion and ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide).

Even Hidenaga couldn’t stop the Korean invasion.

It is highly likely that the allegations of treason were also fabricated, but in the world of the samurai, men take responsibility. Regardless of age, those who succeeded to the family and those who would succeed to the family next are subject to punishment. However, Hideyoshi slaughtered even his innocent wives, concubines, and female children, and did not even mourn them. According to the samurai code, it is understandable to kill Hideyoshi and his successor’s sons and daughters, but it is not understandable to kill his wife, his wife’s concubines, and his daughters and daughters as well. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of killing everyone was Hideyoshi’s true nature, and Hidenaga understood the horror of it. It is thought that this is why he did not oppose Hideyoshi for the rest of his life.

Hidenaga continued to support Hideyoshi as a key figure in diplomacy with foreign feudal lords, but he died prematurely in 1591 at the age of 50. The general perception is that the disappearance of Hidenaga from the Toyotomi administration led to a loss of balance and the collapse of the government, which began with the invasion of Korea and other events.

That idea itself is unreasonable. The stumbling block of the Toyotomi administration was the invasion of Joseon, but Hidenaga, who was only a vassal, could not stop the invasion. Hidenaga was only a coordinator and assistant, not the backbone of the Toyotomi administration. If he had objected to the Korean invasion, he would have been killed, even if he was his own brother. He was a cruel despot and did not care to kill his brother.

The NHK historical drama will probably depict the success story of the Toyotomi brothers, who rose from peasants to rulers and supported their successes, but Hideyoshi also had a harsh side that is not depicted in the drama, and Hidenaga, who knew this fear, skillfully survived without threatening his brother’s authority. That is the historical fact. Of course, the drama is fiction. Of course, the drama is a work of fiction.

What kind of person was Toyotomi Hideyoshi really, and what was the existence of his younger brother Hidenaga? By reading “Toyotomi’s Brothers,” you will be able to enjoy learning about history along with the NHK Taiga Drama.

Toyotomi’s Brothers: What Hidenaga means to Hideyoshi” (Kazuto Hongo, author/Kawade Shinsho)