Japan’s 10 Most Stunning Samurai Warriors
3. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉)
Toyotomi Hideyoshi is one of Japan's greatest daimyō from the Sengoku period who is most often remembered as the second of Japan's great unifiers. He succeeded Oda Nobunaga following his death and put an end to the Warring Lords period, a 133-year period consisting of constant military conflict across the four main islands of Japan.
The period that followed was called the Momoyama period, which was named after Hideyoshi's castle. In addition to unifying Japan under his rule, Hideyoshi is also remembered for important reforms and military campaigns.
He directed that only members of the samurai class could bear arms across Japan and also launched the construction and restoration of some of the nation's most beloved temples.
In 1592, Hideyoshi ordered the Japanese Invasion of Korea, which resulted in a military stalemate between the two nations. That conflict came to an end with Hideyoshi's death in 1598, but it would have lasting cultural impacts on both Korean and Japanese society for centuries following the conflict.