Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the greatest military commander to be produced by pre-modern Japan, a man who experienced a rise to power that was unequalled by anyone else in Japanese history. Born the son of a peasant and rising from the ranks to military greatness, Hideyoshi had always been a soldiers general and inspired loyalty even after his death. Hideyoshi brought Japan together under a single ruler, bringing an end to a period of continual warfare between rival daimyos that had lasted for decades. By 1591 Hideyoshi had reunited Japan, a feat brought about through the skilful application of strategy and diplomacy at which he excelled. Book jacket.

Stephen Turnbull took his first degree at Cambridge University, and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) from Leeds University. In 1996 he received a PhD from Leeds for his work on Japanese religious history. He travels extensively in Europe and the Far East and also runs a well-used picture library.

His work has been recognized by the awarding of the Canon Prize of the British Association for Japanese Studies and a Japan Festival Literary Award. In 2008 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University in Japan. Stephen Turnbull currently divides his time between lecturing in Japanese Religion and History at Leeds University and freelance writing. The author lives in Leeds, UK.