He changing character of power through Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu is reflected in a well known idiom:
Nobunaga said: "Little bird, sing. If you don't sing, I will kill you".
Hideyoshi said: "Little bird, sing. If you don't sing, I will make you sing".
Ieyasu said: "Little bird, sing. If you don't sing, I will wait for you to sing".