Newly discovered historical documents suggest that feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), who unified Japan, might have desired and actively sought recognition for his accomplishments.
When I visited a bookstore in central Tokyo on Jan. 9, I came across a corner featuring the Hojo clan, which wielded enormous power in the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333).
An original red-sealed letter from Toyotomi Hideyoshi found at Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto s Higashiyama Ward. Photo taken July 7 (Kenta Sujino)
KYOTO A letter sealed with red wax penned by feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) expressing gratitude for his mother s recovery from illness was found at Kiyomizudera temple here, a World Heritage site in the city s Higashiyama Ward.
Although the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo made a copy of the document in or after 1886, the original letter went missing at some point.
It was rediscovered while the officials were sorting through 194 old documents at the temple, officials said July 7.
They said the shuinjo letter was written on a sheet of traditional Japanese Otaka-danshi paper measuring 62 centimeters by 44 cm.
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