Toyotomi Hideyoshi was born a peasant so lowly that he did not even have a surname. He entered Oda Nobunaga’s service as a sandal bearer — literally carrying his master’s shoes — and rose through sheer cunning and military brilliance to become the supreme ruler of a unified Japan. No other figure in Japanese history traversed a greater social distance from birth to power.

This episode traces Hideyoshi from his peasant origins through his service under Nobunaga, the campaigns that completed Japan’s unification, the spectacular construction of Osaka Castle, and the disastrous invasions of Korea that marked the overreach of his final years.

• Hideyoshi’s peasant birth and his entry into Nobunaga’s service as a menial sandal bearer
• The military campaigns and political maneuvering that unified Japan after Nobunaga’s death
• The construction of Osaka Castle and the lavish tea ceremonies that displayed his power
• The catastrophic invasions of Korea and the succession crisis that unraveled his legacy