Yodo-dono (c. 1569 – c. June 4, 1615) was a woman who lived from the Sengoku period (the end of Muromachi period) to the early Edo period, and a concubine of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI (Hideyoshi HASHIBA).

Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI's era

Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI period

Hideyoshi who was one of Toshiie's colleagues in the period of the Oda government and his master in the period of the TOYOTOMI government lived in the house next to his in their Kiyosu days and in the house opposite his in their Azuchi days.

If he were a son of a concubine related deeply to Nobutaka(信孝) and Narimasa, it would be explained why he had suffered an indignity in the Toyotomi government period and he had been treated very well as Koke (master of ceremony in Edo bukufu) after the foundation of the Edo bakufu (Narimasa SASSA was approaching Ieyasu in ways such as Sarasara Toge Goe (over the Sarasara Pass) in the period of hegemonic establishment of Hideyoshi).

Sadamasa YABE (date of birth and death unknown), a busho (Japanese military commander) in Azuchi-Momoyama period, served Nobunaga ODA, and then served Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI as a vassal.

It was restored with the help of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI and Ieyasu TOKUGAWA, and possessed five sub-temples during the Edo period.

However, Sanbo-in Temple was destroyed by fire during the Onin War and fell out of use but during the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Gien, the head of Daigo-ji Temple's Kongorin-ji sub temple who was greatly trusted by Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, established the 'Daigo no Hanami' (Daigo Flower Viewing) around the Kongorin-ji sub-temple.

In the Sengoku period (period of warring states) it decayed in the war flames but was revived by Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, the lord of the Nagahama-jo Castle (Omi Province).

In addition, there are examples of individuals who having been influential in their eras have come to be venerated as kami after their deaths (e.g. Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI as the Toyokuni Daimyojin, and Ieyasu TOKUGAWA as Tosho Daigongen); examples of individuals who, after losing some sort of struggle for power or being punished as traitors, have come to be venerated as kami so as to placate their anger (e.g., SUGAWARA no Michizane, TAIRA no Masamune), are also included in this category.

As an exception, in the Tensho period Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI took advantage of the Kampaku Dispute to be adopted by Sakihisa KONOE and succeed to Kampaku, becoming the first samurai Kampaku in Japanese history.

Towards the end of the Sengoku period (period of warring states) that was long after the period described above, Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI became Kanpaku, then became Taiko after he handed over the Kanpaku postion to his nephew, and the term of Taiko, 'which had indicated ex-Kankaku who handed over the position to his son or brother,' came to indicate Hideyoshi alone.

When Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI unified the control of the nation and the war period ended, the situations around 牢人 changed.

In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, as Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI took the position of kanpaku (chief adviser to the Emperor), the title of kokushi changed into an official post for a samurai family to show the level of its social position or authority and became completely nominal.

The post called Chikuzen no kami (governor of Chikuzen Province) that Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI used when he was serving the Oda Clan as its general is considered to be one example of the above.

After the death of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, Ieyasu TOKUGAWA who won The Battle of Sekigahara was appointed as seii taishogun and established Edo bakufu, however, the post "vice shogun" was not placed, therefore, no one was appointed as vice shogun in Edo period.

Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, who was a peasant, ended the Sengoku period and launched the Taiko-kenchi (nationwide land survey) in 1582 and improved upon complicated landholding relationships such as when several persons held rights to the same land, resulting in a renewed property system.