Towards the end of the Sengoku period (period of warring states) that was long after the period described above, Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI became Kanpaku, then became Taiko after he handed over the Kanpaku postion to his nephew, and the term of Taiko, 'which had indicated ex-Kankaku who handed over the position to his son or brother,' came to indicate Hideyoshi alone.
時代が下って、戦国時代(日本)の終わりに豊臣秀吉が関白となり、彼がその職を甥に譲って太閤となると、それまでは単に「その職を子弟に譲った前関白」を指す語でしかなかった「太閤」が専ら秀吉のことのみを指す語になってしまった。