The is a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)
"Date", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 5
retrieved 2013-5-5.

History

The Date family was founded in the early

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

(1185–1333) by Isa Tomomune who originally came from the Isa district of

Hitachi Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...

(now

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

), and was a descendant of Fujiwara no Uona (721–783) in the sixteenth generation. The family took its name from the Date district (now Date City in

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

) of Mutsu Province which had been awarded in 1189 to Isa Tomomune by

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

, the first Kamakura shōgun, for his assistance in the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

and in Minamoto no Yoritomo's struggle for power with his brother,

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-br ...

. During the Nanboku-chō Wars in the 1330s, the Date supported the Imperial Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo through

Kitabatake Akiie was a Japanese court noble, and an important supporter of the Southern Court during the Nanboku-chō Wars. He also held the posts of Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of the North, and Governor of Mutsu Province. His father was Imperial ad ...

, who had been appointed Commander in Chief (or ''Chinjufu Shōgun'') of the Defense of the North, by the emperor. As warlords gained and lost power in the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, trying to unite the country, the Date, along with a handful of other powerful families, did all they could to retain independence and dominance over their section of the land (in the case of the Date, the far north). Though not gaining the fame or power of the likes of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (magnate). He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period ...

, or

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

, they resisted the invasions of these warlords into the north.

Date Masamune was a Japanese ''daimyō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period through the early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful feudal lords in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he w ...

(1567–1636) contributed in particular to this effort, consolidating the families of the north into alliances against the major warlords. In 1589, Masamune with the help of former Ashina's samurai, Inawashiro Morikuni, seized the

Aizu Domain was a Han (Japan), domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Aizuwakamatsu Castle, Tsuruga Castle in M ...

of the Ashina at the Battle of Suriagehara; and he installed himself at Kurokawa Castle in Wakamatsu Province. However, the following year, Hideyoshi triumphed over the Hōjo of

Odawara is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

; and Hideyoshi then obliged Masamune to be content with the fief of Yonezawa (300,000 ''koku''). Masamune ultimately gained some degree of independence by supporting

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

. Ieyasu granted the Date much of the north, and yet the Date were not fully trusted. Despite the Date contribution of reinforcements for the Tokugawa during the

battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, the Date were viewed as a threat. In the Edo period, the Date were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider clans,Appert, Georges. (1888)
''Ancien Japon,'' p. 64.
/ref> in contrast with the '' fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

In 1600, Ieyasu charged the Date to fight against

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Naga ...

; and, with the assistance of Mogami Yoshiteru, Masamune's forces defeated

Naoe Kanetsugu was a Japanese samurai of the 16th–17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi ''daimyōs''. He was also known by his court title, Yamashiro no Kami (山城守) or ...

. In recognition of this success in battle, Masamune was granted the fiefs in twelve districts which had been held until that time by the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its heigh ...

. The Date established themselves at

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

(620,000 ''koku''). By 1658, Masamune changed the name of the Uesugi's castle at Iwatezawa to Sendai Castle. The ''feudal daimyō'' were sometimes identified with the suffix "''-kō''" (duke, ruler of the land), preceded by the name of a place or a castle, e.g., Sendai''-kō'' was one of the names by which Date Masamune was known. Succession disputes erupted; there were a number of direct descendants of Masamune, and many kinsmen and hereditary vassals of the Date who resided nearby held estates of at least 10,000 ''koku'', and thus had some influence. In 1660, Date Tsunamune was arrested in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

, for drunkenness and debauchery; the charges were generally believed to have been true. Tsunamune was condemned to excavate the moats which encircled the shōgun's

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...

. In 1660, he was ordered to supervise and pay for enhancing the north-east moat running from Megane-bashi to the Ushigome gate. The initial charges of licentious living are now believed to have been encouraged heavily by certain vassals and kinsmen in the north. These vassals and kinsmen appealed to the Council of Elders in Edo that Tsunamune should not be considered fit to rule, and that his son Date Tsunamura, great-grandson of Masamune, should become the ''daimyō'' (lord) of the Date '' han'' (fief). Thus, Tsunamura became ''daimyō'', under the guardianship of his uncles, Date Munekatsu and Muneyoshi. Ten years of violence and conflict followed in the north, reaching a climax in 1671 when Aki Muneshige, a powerful relative of the Date, complained to the shogunate of the mismanagement of the fief under Tsunamura and his uncles. The episode that followed is so complex and dramatic as to warrant becoming a well-known story known as the ''Date Sōdō'' ( Date Disturbance) and a theatrical play as well. Aki was summoned to Edo to argue his case before various councils and officials, and was involved in a number of interrogations, examinations and meetings, as were several other retainers of the Date. One retainer in particular, Harada Munesuke, was a supporter of Tsunamura and his uncles and, it is said, made a poor impression at Edo. At one point, Aki came upon Harada waiting to meet with some of the officials, and Aki began shouting insults. Swords were then drawn, and Aki was killed. Harada was killed moments after, by the officials or their guards. The official verdict was that Harada drew first; the Harada family was disbanded and though Tsunamura was affirmed as the proper ''daimyō'', his uncles were punished. Though the Date are most well known for their power in the north, Date Hidemune, the second son of Masamune, enjoyed a fief of 100,000 ''koku'' on

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

Successive Heads of the Date Clan

# Date Tomomune (1129–1199) # Date Munemura (1173–1251) # Date Yoshihiro (1185–1256) # Date Masayori (1227–1301) # Date Munetsuna (1254–1317) # Date Motomune (d. 1335) # Date Yukitomo (1291–1348) # Date Munetō (1324–1385) # Date Masamune (1353–1405) # Date Ujimune (1371–1412) # Date Mochimune (1393–1469) # Date Shigemune (1435–1487) # Date Hisamune (1453–1514) # Date Tanemune (1488-1565) # Date Harumune (1519-1578) # Date Terumune (1544-1585) #

(1567 - 1636) # Date Tadamune (1600 - 1658) # Date Tsunamune (1640 - 1711) # Date Tsunamura (1659 - 1719) # Date Yoshimura (1680 - 1752) # Date Munemura (1718 - 1756) # Date Shigemura (1742 - 1796) # Date Narimura (1775 - 1796) # Date Chikamune (1796 - 1812) # Date Narimune (1796 - 1819) # Date Nariyoshi (1798 - 1828) # Date Narikuni (1817 - 1841) # Date Yoshikuni (1825 - 1874) # Date Munemoto (1866 - 1917) # Date Kunimune (1870–1923) # Date Okimune (1906–1947) # Date Sadamune (1937–1981) # Date Yasumune (b. 1959)

Date clan genealogy

The ''tozama'' Date clan originated during the 12th century in

Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture as well as the bordering parts of Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo (the parts that used to be located east of the lower reaches of the old Tone River prior to the ...

. They claim descent from the

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. The branches of the ''tozama'' Date clan include the following: * The senior branch of the Date were daimyō at Date in Mutsu province from the 12th century; and then, in 1601, they transferred the seat of their clan holdings to Sendai. From the early 17th century until 1868, the Date continued to hold

Sendai Domain The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Sendai Domain was based at Aoba Castle in Mutsu Province, in the modern city of Sendai, located in the Tōhoku region of ...

(620,000 ''koku'') in Mutsu Province. The head of this Senior clan line was ennobled as an hereditary "Count" in the Meiji period. * This senior branch of the Date produced a nominal offshoot or "side branch". Date Tadamune (1599–1658), a son of Masamune, produced more than one son. Tadamune's second son, Muneyoshi, revived the name of Tamura, an ancient Mutsu family name which had been relinquished by Masamune. Date Muneyoshi or Tamura Muneyoshi (1637–1678) settled himself at Ichinoseki domain (30,000 ''koku'') in Mutsu Province (now in

Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...

), where his descendants resided up through 1868. The head of this clan line was ennobled as an hereditary "Viscount" in the Meiji period. * A cadet branch of the Date was created in 1614; and this clan line was established at

Uwajima Domain file:Date Munenari coloured.jpg, 270px, Date Munenari file:Uwajima Date Museum 1.jpg, 270px, Uwajima Date Museum was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now western Ehime Prefecture on the is ...

(100,000 ''koku'') in

Iyo Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa Province (Tokushima), Awa to the east ...

. Date Muneki (1817–1882) was a prominent member of this Cadet branch. He played an important role in the early days of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, and he was among the first to argue persistently for the suppression of shogunate powers. As The head of this clan line, Muneki and his heirs were ennobled as an hereditary "Marquis" in the Meiji period. * An additional cadet branch of the Date was created in 1657. In that year, a separate clan line was installed at Yoshida Castle (30,000 ''koku'') in

. The head of this clan line was ennobled as an hereditary "Viscount" in the Meiji period.

Clan temple in Edo

In the Edo period, Tōzen-ji was considered the family temple of various clans, including the Date clan of

. Other clans considering Tōzen-ji to have been a clan temple were the

Ikeda clan was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021) of the Seiwa Genji. Minamoto no Yasumasa, the fourth generation descending from Yorimitsu, and younger brother of Minamoto no Yorimasa (1104-1180), was the first to ...

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

, the Inaba clan of Usuki Domain in

Bungo Province was a province of Japan in the area of eastern Kyūshū, corresponding to most of modern Ōita Prefecture, except what is now the cities of Nakatsu and Usa. Bungo bordered on Hyūga to the south, Higo and Chikugo to the west, and Chikuze ...

, the Suwa clan of Shinshū, the Tamura of Ichinoseki, and the

Mōri clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power in Aki Province. Durin ...

of Saeki in Bungo Province.

Clan shrine in Sendai

The Date clan's tutelary shrine, Kameoka Hachimangū, survives as a local shrine in Sendai.

Notable clan members

Notable members of the clan listed by their date of birth, excluding clan leaders:

Sixteenth century

* Megohime (1568 - 1653) - daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki; wife of Date Masamune * Date Kojiro (1578–1590) - son of Date Terumune * Date Hidemune (1591–1658) – son of

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' of Iyo domain in

* Date Tadamune (1599–1658) – son of

* Date Munezane (1613–1665) – son of

* Date Munekatsu – son of

– guardian of Tsunamura

Seventeenth century

* Date Munetomo – son of Date Munekatsu *Date Munetsuna (1603–1618) * Date Munenobu (1603–1627) *

Date Munehiro Date Munehiro or Chihiro (Japanese:伊達宗広 or 千広; June 24, 1802 – May 18, 1877) was a Japanese samurai of Kii Domain and Scholar of Kokugaku, living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods. He was father of Mutsu Munemitsu (陸� ...

(1612–1644) * Date Munetoki (1615–1653) * Date Torachiyomaru (1624–1630) * Date Muneyoshi (1625–1678) – son of Date Tadamune – guardian of Tsunamura * Date Mitsumune (1627–1645) – son of Date TadamunePlutschow
pp. 224 n150
53 n150. – Iemitsu gave him the "''Mitsu-''" in his name. * Date Munetoshi (1634–1708) * Date Munezumi (1636–1708) * Date Sourin (1640–1670) * Date Munefusa (1646–1686) * Date Munenori (1673–1694) * Date Muratoyo (1682–1737) * Date Muraoki (1683–1767)

Eighteenth century

* Date Murasumi (1717–1735) * Date Muranobu (1720–1765) * Date Murakata (1745–1790) * Date Murayoshi (1778–1820)

Nineteenth century and after Meiji restoration

* Date Yoshitaka (1812–1862) * Date Muneki (1817–1882) * Date Munenari (1818–1892) * Yasuko Date (1827–1904) * Date Kuninori (1830–1874) * Date Kuninao (1834–1891) * Date Kuninari (1841–1904) * Date Junnosuke (1892–1948)

Side branches

They were born to the Date clan but were nominally adopted by other families. The first name is the person who was nominally adopted. *Tamura Muneyoshi (1637–1678)Papinot, Edmond. (1948)
''Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan'', p. 642.
/ref> ** Tamura Takeaki (1656–1708) – first Tamura ''daimyō'' of Ichinoseki han ** Tamura Akihiro (1659–1696) ** Tamura Akinao (1662–1706) ** Tamura Akinori (1664–1733) ** Tamura Haruchiyo (1686–1693) ** Tamura Nobuaki (1703–1725) ** Tamura Muranobu (1723–1777) *Shiraishi Gorokichi (1638–1644) *Uesugi Yoshifusa (1720–1742) ** Uesugi Yoshitoki (1742–1784) ** Uesugi Yoshinaga (?–?) ** Uesugi Yositatsu (?–?) ** Uesugi Yoshimasa (?–?) ** Usesugi Yoshitoyo (d. 1861)

Retainers and vassals

These families were vassals of the Date clan. Notable members are listed by their date of birth.

Oniniwa

*Oniniwa Motozane (1412–1590) – founder of Oniniwa clan * Oniniwa Yoshinao (1513–1586) *Masuda Kita (1539–1690) – Yoshinao's Daughter/Tsunamoto's half-sister *Moniwa Tadamoto ( Oniniwa Tsunamoto/Moniwa Tsunamoto) (1549–1640) –

bestowed the surname "Moniwa" as the new name for the Oniniwa clan. *Moniwa Yoshimoto (Yoshitsuna) (1575–1663) – son of Tadamoto/Tsunamoto *Harada Tsutame ( – 1671) – The wife of Harada Munesuke; adopted child of Tadamoto (Tsunamoto)

Katakura

* Katakura Kagetsuna * Katakura Kita

Rusu

* Rusu Masakage

Watari

* Date Shigezane

Shiroishi

* Shiroishi Munezane

Popular culture

* The Date Clan is heavily featured in the anime series Masamune Datenicle. * The Date are a playable faction in Shogun 2. * Date is a playable nation in

Europa Universalis IV ''Europa Universalis IV'' is a 2013 grand strategy video game in the ''Europa Universalis'' series, developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to '' Europa Universalis III'' (2007). The game was r ...

Notes

References

* Appert, Georges and H. Kinoshita. (1888)
''Ancien Japon''.
Tokyo: Imprimerie Kokubunsha. * Cortazzi, Hugh. (2000)
''Collected Writings of Sir Hugh Cortazzi'', Vol. II.
London:

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

. * Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999)
''Japan's Kaiserhof in de Edo-Zeit: Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Jahre 1846 bis 1867''.
Münster: Tagenbuch. * Papinot, Edmond. (1906) ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du japon''. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaish
..Click link for digitized 1906 ''Nobiliaire du japon'' (2003)
* Plutschow, Herbert. (1995)
"Japan's Name Culture: The Significance of Names in a Religious, Political and Social Context''.
London:

. * Sansom, George Bailey. (1961). ''A History of Japan: 1334–1615''. Stanford, California:

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It is currently a member of the Ass ...

. * __________. (1963). ''A History of Japan: 1615–1867''. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. * Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822''. London:

RoutledgeCurzon Routledge ( ) is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, a ...

. {{ISBN, 0-7007-1720-X Japanese clans