Hideyoshi's "Monkey" nickname derived from his slight build, rounded shoulders, oversized head, oddly protruding ears, and red, ruddy face, "as wizened as a sapless apple"—plus a cunning, fun-loving spirit. He proclaimed himself to have "few rivals in ugliness," and was sometimes called "Bald Rat" by his mentor, Oda Nobunaga. Yet he rose to supreme leadership, winning the title of Imperial Regent: Proxy for the Emperor.

Gamers, have you encountered any mischievous characters named Monkey? You're looking at four centuries of leadership history!

In fact, while researching this book I discovered that computer games is one of the few arenas where names of the great samurai live on in English. For a Japan specialist, it was, er … interesting to discover that the rest of the world knows Hideyoshi and Nobunaga better as game characters than giants of history.

So if you're into games, check out Hideyoshi's leadership secrets. And if you really want to get into Monkey's head, read the book!

Copyright 2007-2010 by Tim Clark