Rapaire, I found a lot of sites on google, one of which, from Penn State,click here, had this to say (emphasis is mine):

Hideyoshi reunified Japan after over a century of civil war and political instability. As ruler he enacted several important policies that helped shape the structure of society and government for centuries after his death. Hideyoshi was himself of peasant origin, but he took steps to make sure that no peasant would again rise to fame and power as a general. He decreed a formal, rigid division between warriors (commonly known by the Japanese term samurai) and everyone else ("commoners"). This decree was the origin of the samurai class as a clearly defined, legal entity. Those who were part-time warriors and part-time farmers or merchants had to choose between military or civilian life. After separating the warriors from the rest of society, Hideyoshi then collected all offensive weapons (e.g., long swords, certain types of firearms) from the commoners in what is called the "Sword Hunt" Ostensibly, he had the weapons collected to be melted down and made into a huge Buddha image. Religious piety, however, was not the real reason. As you can imagine, it is much easier to collect taxes from a disarmed populace.

There's some other fascinating reading about that whole period HERE.

Interesting topic, thanks!

kat