Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

PART 2: OSAKA PERIOD

Phase 05 - New Structure

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The conflicts that took place throughout Japan from June to October in the year 1600 quietly came to an end.

The series of rewards, promotions, demotions, banishments, and relocations related to the Battle of Sekigahara were fully concluded in the autumn of 1602, about a year later.

During this year, it became a period ultimately securing the victory of the Western Army, and most of the military commanders who sided with the Eastern Army were either banished or demoted. They followed the ways of the Sengoku period and could be described as having lost the gamble. However, this time marked the largest-scale period of change since the beginning of the Sengoku period and is likely to be the last of its kind.

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The total land confiscated by the Western Army amounted to approximately 6 million koku, with the Tokugawa clan's holdings of 2,46 million koku being the largest. Considering that Japan's estimated population at the time was around 18 million (equal to the koku), this meant that roughly one-third of Japan's land came under the control of the Western Army. In particular, the Tōkai-Kōshin and Kantō regions saw significant changes on the map as virtually all territories were redrawn, leading to the emergence of numerous daimyōs in various regions.

Among these, the Toyotomi clan and Hideyori Toyotomi were not the ones who significantly expanded their territories. In the end, the Toyotomi, apart from providing money in the later stages, did very little, and their actual power declined significantly despite their authority. It was considered problematic for a samurai family to do so little in times of warfare, even if their leader was young. The upstart Toyotomi clan and their entourage, who could not understand such distinctive Sengoku period thinking and style, became arrogant. If Hideyoshi had been around, he would have crawled onto the battlefield if he had to.

On the other hand, it was customary to reward those who performed well in battle. In this regard, the Toyotomi clan had to share the rewards with their retainers. They understood this to some extent. The military commanders who took center stage in the Western Army, led by Mitsunari Ishida, were the ones who guided this.

Rewards were determined based on military achievements, and according to traditional military strategy, the one who effectively delayed the Tokugawa's main forces for an extended period and prevented them from arriving in time for the decisive battle was Masayuki Sanada.

Furthermore, the achievements of those who initially established the Western Army, including Mitsunari, naturally deserved high rewards. Those who stood with them from the beginning had to be treated similarly. In other instances, Kagekatsu Uesugi's role in luring the Eastern Army and further dispersing the enemy's forces deserved high rewards. Consequently, the rewards for Morichika Chōsokabe, who defeated the Tokugawa's main commander, Ieyasu, should also be substantial. Of course, rewards for the Mōri clan, who sent out large armies and had their family members active in various places, cannot be overlooked.

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As a result, the Toyotomi clan added approximately 600.000 koku, about 10% of the confiscated territories, to their existing holdings, increasing their total to around 3,2 million koku. However, most of this increase was allocated as land returned to the Mōri clan under the Toyotomi name, so the actual increase in their power was minimal. Furthermore, there were several issues that emerged later, becoming the source of trouble, particularly Lady Yodo's strong opposition to Hideaki Mōri's appointment as Kampaku. However, while the militant faction among the Toyotomi's favored daimyōs was largely eliminated, the administrators of the Bunji faction had greatly expanded their territories. Consequently, there was not much change in terms of territory in the hereditary domain.