History of Asia

The Kampaku / Toyotomi Hidetsugu seppuku case was a disaster in Hideyoshi's organizational management! ??

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's later years [ Korean troops ] And [ Hidetsugu Seppuku Case ] Is often regarded as a foolish act, but it is believed that there may be a valid reason for sending troops to Korea.

So today, which is one of the reasons why the Toyotomi administration collapsed, [ Hidetsugu Seppuku Incident ] I would like to write from the perspective of organizational management.

Outline of Toyotomi Hidetsugu's seppuku case

[ Toyotomi Hidetsugu Seppuku Case ] Is July 15, 1595 In addition, it refers to the uproar that led to the seppuku of Kampaku and Toyotomi Hidetsugu and the mass execution of his wife and children on Mt. Koya.

His nephew Hidetsugu, who was given Kampaku by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, became the second generation of the Toyotomi administration, along with his name and reality.

However, it was generally recognized that Hideyoshi, who wanted to succeed Hideyori, his real son who was born later, began to eliminate him, and was accused of rebellion by Mitsunari Ishida and others, and was banished to Koyasan and ordered to seppuku. ..

The outline of the Toyotomi Hidetsugu seppuku case is that Hideyori was born and ordered the expulsion and seppuku of his infamous nephew Hidetsugu with the desire to make his real son a successor.

I have mentioned in this blog that this incident was a turning point that destroyed the Toyotomi administration.

View of Toyotomi Hidetsugu's seppuku case

If you replace it with a company organization in an easy-to-understand manner, did you say that the company went bankrupt due to the failure of human resources management?

First of all, the above outline is the main seppuku case, but if you look at the facts based on historical materials, it seems that there is a slight difference from the general view, so let's look at it.

Hideyoshi has a servant, a cook, and a guard.

July 12, 4th year of Bunroku [ Shuji Takano Sumiyama Ordinance ] So, it seems that he is ordering to have a person and a cook who take care of Hidetsugu's personal belongings. He also has a guard to keep an eye on Shuji's descent and the invasion of those who visit him.

If Hideyoshi wants Hidetsugu to be seppuku, would he take such measures?

The question arises.

There is no primary source left to order seppuku

I wrote earlier [ Shuji Takano Sumiyama Ordinance ] A copy of the primary source is left, but the primary source that ordered Hidetsugu's seppuku has not been found. [ Hoan Oze in the Edo period ], It seems that the evidence remains, but this historical material itself lacks credibility and seems to lack credibility.

Did you deliver the seppuku order to Mt. Koya?

The Takano Sumiyama Ordinance was issued on July 12, 4th year of Bunroku, and Hideji was seppuku at 10:00 am on July 15. It is physically impossible to deliver the seppuku order to Mt. Koya before 10 am on the 15th, even if the seppuku order is issued on the 13th the next day.

From the above, it remains a question whether the seppuku order itself existed.

The above is just the basis for some historical materials, but from these three [ Hideyoshi did not intend to make Hidetsugu seppuku ] There is a possibility.

Hidetsugu's trip to Koyasan was ordered by Hideyoshi, but [ expulsion ] Not [ Departure ] Is believed. However, when I looked into the meaning of the departure, I found that [ escape and disappear . ] Is written.

Kazumasa Ishikawa who was the chief vassal of that Ieyasu Will disappear from the Tokugawa family and go to the Toyotomi family. In my interpretation, [ outrage ] Is interpreted as the vassal leaving with some dissatisfaction with the lord. Therefore, I think that Hideyoshi's order to say that he was exiled was actually just a paraphrase of expulsion.

If you write it in a sentence, it will be called expulsion or expulsion, but since Hideyoshi and Hidetsugu are relatives, to put it a little softer, [ You Chot, cool your head at Mt. Koya and reflect on it ] It may have been a feeling.

Isn't it an unexpected event for Hideyoshi because he didn't really intend to do seppuku? ??

Definition of seppuku

Let's write about seppuku here.

When you hear seppuku, you have the image of taking responsibility, but [ ultimate petition ], And there are cases where it is done voluntarily. That Nobunaga's guardian, Hirate Masahide It is said that he tried to correct Nobunaga's sexuality because he was seppuku.

Considering that, Hidetsugu's seppuku can be taken as a voluntary seppuku in order to make a petition to Hideyoshi.

Toyotomi Sekiya

The Toyotomi administration would not have been born without the overwhelming existence of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

It is expected that many difficulties will be expected if his successor manages the administration after Hideyoshi's death. Hideyoshi, who was thinking about that, decided to use the Toyotomi family as a regent in order to keep the government alive. ].

A regent is a family who can become a regent and a kampaku who manages national affairs. Konoe, Ichijo, Nijo, Kujo, Takatsukasa It is a selected family that stands at the top of the aristocratic society, which is said to be only 5 families. Hideyoshi became the first samurai to be adopted by the Konoe family, and at that time [ Fujiwara surname ].

Two months later, from the imperial court, as the samurai's real surname, [ Toyotomi surname ], The Toyotomi clan became a [ Toyotomi regent . ] I got the family character. As a result, [ the best vassal ] Hideyoshi succeeded in giving great authority to both individuals and the Toyotomi clan.

By handing over his nephew Hidetsugu's position in Kampaku, he sought to monopolize the Kampaku profession by the Toyotomi family and justify the Toyotomi administration. If Hideyoshi himself ordered the seppuku of Hidetsugu, who gave up Kampaku, it would be the biggest [ self-denial . ].

No matter how much Hideyori wants to take over, will Hideyoshi do such a thing?

Consideration of Toyotomi Hidetsugu's seppuku case

In the Warring States period, it was an era when the number of boys was a big deal.

As you can see from history, the biggest weakness of the Toyotomi family is that there are few boys.

Hideyoshi is eldest son Tsurumatsu His younger brother Hidenaga , who had lost and relied on And his eldest son also died earlier. As of July 4th year of Bunroku, Hideyori was the only boy to be entrusted with the administration until Hideyori became an adult.

Will Hideyoshi do something equivalent to destroying the government, such as cutting Hidetsugu?

It is natural for a boss to take the opportunity of his subordinates to manage the company organization.

Moreover, even in the world of the Warring States, where one loss is related to the life and death of the clan, its importance is immeasurable. The Sengoku daimyo is working on various measures to solidify the unity of the clan and vassals.

Hideyoshi, who was said to be a human being, is a person who excels in human resources management in addition to his personal charm, and incorporates various daimyo, Toyotomi surname, Hashiba surname The Hideyoshi family was formed by giving the gift.

However, Hideyoshi probably didn't realize that he had a strong determination as a samurai that he couldn't imagine in his daily life because he lacked the important consideration for Hideyoshi even in the clan.

Suspected of rebellion, Shuji goes to seppuku to prove his innocence. He managed to manage the daimyo well, but the failure to manage his relatives shook the backbone of the Toyotomi administration later.

In this unprecedented big incident called seppuku incident, the Toyotomi administration will be forced to extinguish the incident. The result is [ rebellion ] Was perfected, the case was closed with the execution of all Hidetsugu's wives and children.

And, as you know, history is 1598 . Hideyoshi's death, 1600 , Battle of Sekigahara, 1603 After the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, 1615 It will be destroyed in the summer camp of Osaka.

Only 20 years have passed since Shuji's seppuku.

Finally, if Hidetsugu had four boys and they were adults, [ Clan's shortage of boys ] There was a possibility that the weakness of the Toyotomi administration could be improved.

Of course, Hideyoshi / Hidetsugu There may be a government dispute between the brothers after death, but that's only for Tara. At the very least, it may have been possible to prevent Ieyasu Tokugawa from taking power after the death of Hideyoshi.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi who became a world-renowned person However, the management failure of his subordinates led to the bankruptcy of a large company called the Toyotomi administration. It must be kept in mind that the failure of human resources management can affect the survival of a company (organization).

Addendum:Hideyoshi Toyotomi did not intend to execute Hidetsugu. Evidence was found! ??

August 29, 2019 , At the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo, Hideyoshi's letter to Terumoto Mori in 1595 Was discovered, and the content was written so that the views of the Shuji case so far would change by 180 degrees.

Hideyasu's younger brother, Hideyasu, decided to be the lord of Yamato as the successor to Toyotomi Hidenaga. I told Mori Terumoto.

Will this be the 440,000-koku daimyo of his son, who lives in Koyasan in the story three months before Hidetsugu ordered seppuku?

From the contents of this letter, it can be predicted that Hideyoshi had no idea of ​​excluding the Hidetsugu clan at least three months before seppuku.

Toyotomi Hideyori Was born two years before this incident.

If Hideyori had the idea of ​​excluding Hideyori, would he send such a letter to Terumoto Mori? It is said that the person who scrutinized this letter said that this historical discovery was a major discovery that led to the elucidation of the circumstances leading up to the Hidetsugu seppuku incident.