Meaning and history
From Japanese 秀 (hide) meaning “excellent, outstanding” combined with 良 (yoshi) meaning “good, virtuous, respectable” or 吉 (yoshi) meaning “good luck”; other kanji combinations are also possible. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whose given name was 秀吉, was a 16th-century daimyō who unified Japan, attempted to conquer Korea, banned peasant weapon ownership, and expelled Christian missionaries.