Hideyoshi (1537-1598) was the second of the three unifiers of Japan in the 16th century. Like many samurai then, he rose from humble status to power because of his skills as a general and a politician. Hideyoshi specialized in gaining the allegiance of his enemies instead of destroying them, with the exception of Buddhist monks who continually opposed him and were put to death. He was also famous for unsuccessfully invading Korea in 1592 to 1598, for emphasizing cultural achievements for the samurai class, and for sporadic suppression of Christianity.
