Primary Source investigation
Nobunaga - 'Little bird, if you don't sing, I will kill you' Hideyoshi - 'Little bird, if you don't sing, I will make you sing' Ieyasu - 'Little bird, if you don't sing, I will wait for you to sing' |
My primary source is a quote by all three of the unifiers of Japan. They all have the same context, but with different endings. It is a very famous quote that was originally said in Japanese by the three people. It was said at the same time by all three of the unifiers who saw a cuckoo bird outside and wanted it to sing. The date that these quotes were recorded is unknown and the person who recorded it was Matsura Seizan. This quote mainly shows the value of patients over cruelty. This is probably the most famous quotes of Medieval Japan that was recorded. I think that it is useful for historians researching the unifiers of Japan to look into the personality of these people because if these personalities were changed into actions and it might change some facts about Tokugawa Ieyasu, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It also might tell historians that each one of these people's downfalls were because of their personality, especially Nobunaga who was betrayed by his own general. This primary source tells me about the personality of the three unifiers. From this I know that Nobunaga was strict and cruel, Hideyoshi was sociable, bright and persuasive and Ieyasu was kind-hearted. This might tell future historians why all of these unifiers were successful or not, why they were liked or no and many other things about them. For example, I can see now that Mitsuhide turned on Nobunaga because he was cruel and brutal. I also know why Hideyoshi could rise from being a peasant to nearly being shogun. Ieyasu was probably appointed shogun and accepted because of his kind nature, unlike most other shoguns before him. I also know that Ieyasu won over many soldiers because of his personality. Even if Ieyasu was kind, he obviously had to give orders, and he also did that very well. It also might have shaped the Japanese attitude towards patients after their time. This quote helped me to write about the unifiers of Japan because I could refer back to why the unifiers were treated the way they were from the Japanese public. Historians studying this topic will find out more about the Tokugawa times by using this source to investigate things about that era. This could extend to how the three Daimyo styles (the small government within one Daimyo's area) were run. It would also explain why there were no more wars fought after Ieyasu's rule. The effect of following this quote is even shown today. Japanese people stick to one strategy much longer than other cultures would. This primary source has helped me immensely with the 'three unifiers of Japan' question so it would probably answer some other questions on the same topic that historians ask in the future. All of the Tokugawa shoguns played a part in a huge change in Japan. These changes can become clear by using the Little Bird quote that I have chosen for my primary source.
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