Council of five regents

The following article probably needs renaming.

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The council of five regents, also known as the five Tairō (五大老 go-tairō), was formed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to rule Japan in the place of his son, Hideyori, until such time as he came of age. Hideyoshi chose his five most powerful daimyo: Ukita Hideie, Maeda Toshiie, Uesugi Kagekatsu, Mori Terumoto, and the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu. (Kobayakawa Takakage was also to have been a regent, but died before Hideyoshi himself.)

Related Topics:
Toyotomi Hideyoshi - Hideyori - Daimyo - Ukita Hideie - Maeda Toshiie - Uesugi Kagekatsu - Mori Terumoto - Tokugawa Ieyasu - Kobayakawa Takakage

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It was Hideyoshi's hope that the members of the council would balance each other, preventing any one of them from taking control. This was not to be, however: almost immediately after Hideyoshi's death in 1598, the regents swiftly divided themselves into two camps, consisting of 'Tokugawa' and 'everybody else'. War did not actually break out until mid-1600; it ended the same year, at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending in an uneasy peace that left Hideyori alive and in control of Osaka Castle.

Related Topics:
1598 - 1600 - Battle of Sekigahara - Osaka Castle

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