Narrow Road To The Deep North 26

And the little monkey sandal-bearer- what had he accomplished? Hideyoshi had changed Japanese society in many ways.
His most important reforms involved the recodification of rigid class structure. During the Warring States Period, it was common for peasants to become warriors, or for samurai to farm due to the constant uncertainty caused by the lack of centralized government and an always tentative peace. Upon taking control, Hideyoshi decreed in the Separation Edict of 1588, that all peasants be completely disarmed and what weapons they had be confiscated in a massive ‘sword hunt.’ Although he promised that he weapons he seized were to be melted down into a giant statue of Buddha, he simply armed his troops with them. Both actions brought an end to rebellion, since the lowly peasants no longer had a means to arm themselves. Soon after that, he banned samurai from living with the common populace and from taking part in occupations like as farming or trading, requiring them instead to leave the land and take up residence in the castle towns. Land and production surveys formed the basis for systematic taxation. 
Hideyoshi completed a new census of Japan, and then required all registered citizens to stay in their respective han fiefs, unless they had official permission to go elsewhere. This brought order in a period when bandits still roamed the countryside and peace was still new. He banned ‘unfree labor’ or slavery, although forms of contract and indentured work persisted along with the period’s penal code forced labor. 
All of this solidified the social class system for the next 300 years.
The sandal bearer also influenced the material culture of Japan. He financed the construction, restoration and rebuilding of many temples standing today in Kyoto. He lavished time and money on the tea ceremony, collecting implements, sponsoring social events, and patronizing acclaimed masters. During the Korean campaigns, large quantities of prized ceramic implements were confiscated, and many Korean artisans forcibly relocated to Japan. Hideyoshi constructed a fabulous portable tearoom, covered with gold leaf and lined with red gossamer, inspired by the dazzling Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. His appearance anywhere with a mobile tea ceremony projected unrivaled power and status. 
Politically, he set up a governmental system that balanced out the most powerful Japanese daimyô. A council was created to include the most influential warlords. Just prior to his death, Hideyoshi set up a political system that he hoped would be stable enough to survive until his son grew old enough to become the next leader. A go-tairō Council of Five Elders was formed, consisting of the five most powerful warlords, with a designated regent in command. It failed to achieve his goal, but some organizational elements would remain in place for the next three centuries.
In a letter to his wife, Hideyoshi once wrote:



   ‘I mean to do glorious deeds and I am ready for a long siege, with 
    provisions and gold and silver in plenty, so as to return in 
    triumph and leave a great name behind me. I desire you to 
    understand this and to tell it to everybody.’