Journey back to the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. The scene: Toyotomi Hideyoshi is heading to the Imperial Palace. He is not alone; Hideyori, his son – almost a grown man – travels with him. Take a look at the extravagant ox cart in the middle of the procession. If Hideyoshi and Hideyori were inside that cart, what would they be talking about? Let your mind picture it.

Why is it that, despite the Tokugawa Shōgun’s absence in the Edo Period procession, you can feel Hideyoshi’s presence in this one? The truth is that, while Hideyoshi was a similarly absolute ruler of Japan, he did not create the Shogunate. He may have had his own motives, but Hideyoshi remained a servant of the Emperor to the last, rescuing him many times. He received the name “Toyotomi” from the Emperor himself. Did he advise Hideyori to take caution around the Emperor? Or was he perhaps hatching a new scheme?