Taking Swords from Farmers: The Truth Behind Hideyoshi's Land Survey and Sword Hunt
Hideyoshi's land surveys and sword hunts fundamentally restructured Japanese society by separating warriors from farmers — laying the foundation of early modern Japan.
A deep read
Hideyoshi’s 1588 Sword Hunt confiscated weapons from farmers across Japan, while his land surveys (Taiko Kenchi) measured all agricultural output with a unified standard. Together these policies created the separation of warriors and farmers that defined Japanese society for the next 300 years.
Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi — the ruler who reshaped Japanese society with the Sword Hunt and land surveys
Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Azuchi Castle model — castles of this era were refined as fortresses of the warrior class in tandem with social separation policies
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Nijo Castle, Osaka — emblematic architecture of Hideyoshi's era of national unification