Toyotomi Hideyoshi

This 1876 portrait presents Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the brilliant commoner-general who unified Japan in the 1580s after the death of Oda Nobunaga. Depicted here likely in middle age at the height of his power, Hideyoshi's distinctive features—his narrow eyes, prominent cheekbones, and legendary small stature—were well-established in popular imagery. Yoshitoshi produced numerous historical portraits of great commanders during the 1870s as Meiji-era audiences sought to reconcile Japan's martial past with its rapidly modernizing present.