The Toyotomi family was an obscure one before Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s rise to power in the 1580s and 1590s. Although of samurai status, the Toyotomi were of low, foot soldier rank. When Hideyoshi died in 1598, however, he left behind only a young, 5 year-old son who had to rely on his father’s major vassals to support his claim to rule. They soon fell out and fought the battle of Sekigahara. After his victory there, Tokugawa Ieyasu demoted Hideyoshi’s son, Hideyori, to daimyo status. Further quarrels led to Tokugawa campaigns against Hideyori’s castle at Osaka in 1614 and 1615. The castle was destroyed and Hideyori committed suicide amid the inferno of his defeated castle in 1615, putting an end to the family.
