was an early

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

, and the 2nd ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominal ...

'' of the 625,000 '' koku''

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 the i ...

in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku reta ...

of northern Japan. He was the half-brother of

Date Hidemune was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. He was the eldest son of Date Masamune, born in 1591 by Shinzo no Kata (a concubine). Coming of age while living with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he received a character from Hideyoshi's name and took ...

Uwajima Domain 270px, Date Munenari 270px, Uwajima Date Museum was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now western Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Uwajima Castle, and was ruled throu ...

Biography

Tadamune was born as Torakikumaru (虎菊丸) later Sōjirō (総次郎) the second son of Date Masamune. Although he was the second son, his elder half-brother Date Hidemune was born by Lady Iisaka, a concubine, and was thus not eligible to rule. At the age of seven, he was betrothed to Ichi-hime, the 5th daughter of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

; however, she died three years later, and he was betrothed again to the daughter of

Ikeda Terumasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. His court title was '' Musashi no Kami''. Terumasa was also known by the nickname ''saigoku no shōgun'', or, "The ''Shōgun'' of Western Japan". Terumasa fought in many of the battles of the ...

, who was also Ieyasu's grand-daughter. In 1611, ''shōgun''

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

presided over his ''

genpuku is a Japanese coming-of-age ceremony which dates back to Japan's classical Nara Period (710–794 AD). /sup> This ceremony marked the transition from child to adult status and the assumption of adult responsibilities. The age of participat ...

'' ceremony, and he received courtesy title was ''Mimasaka-no-kami'', and Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade Court rank. He also received permission from the ''shōgun'' to use the

Matsudaira The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of ...

surname as an honorific. At the time of the 1614

Siege of Osaka The was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages (winter campaign and summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege ...

, he accompanied his father in the train of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and it was by order of Ieyasu that Date Hidemune was ordered to establish an independent branch of the Date clan at

Uwajima 270px, Uwajma City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Uwajma city center 270px, Japan National Route 320 in Uwajma city center is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 70,440 in 35429 households and a ...

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

with a '' kokudaka'' of 100,000 ''koku'', whereas Date Tadamune was confirmed as heir to the main Date line at Sendai. Tadamune was elevated to Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, and given the honorary title of

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

in 1616. In 1624, his courtesy title was changed to ''Echizen-no-kami'', and changed again in 1626 to ''Sakonoe-gon-shōshō'' (General of the Left Guards). On Masamune's death in June 1636, he became ''daimyō'', and entered

Aoba Castle 260px, Layout of Aoba Castle is a Japanese castle located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Aoba Castle was home to the Date clan, ''daimyō'' of Sendai Domain. The castle was also known as or as . In 2003, the c ...

in Sendai for the first time in August of the same year. He immediately took over the reins of government by replacing two of the six ''

bugyō was a title assigned to '' samurai'' officials during the feudal period of Japan. ''Bugyō'' is often translated as commissioner, magistrate, or governor, and other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given offic ...

s'', and re-establishing a multi-person system of magistrates and inspectors to provide more oversight and to eliminate corruption and arbitrary rule. He followed this the following year by publishing a new code of rules and regulations for the domain. In 1639, his courtesy title was changed to ''Mutsu-no-kami''. In terms of finances, from 1640 to 1643 he ordered a complete re-survey of the domain, bringing units of measurements in line with the nation-wide standards used by the Tokugawa shogunate. This was accompanied by large scale

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

. Tadamune also established a system whereby the domain purchased all rice produced in the domain, and reselling in Edo, paying the farmers in advance. This encouraged the opening of new rice lands. During Tadamune's tenure,

Sendai Castle 260px, Layout of Aoba Castle is a Japanese castle located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Aoba Castle was home to the Date clan, ''daimyō'' of Sendai Domain. The castle was also known as or as . In 2003, the ca ...

was completed, and he sponsored the construction of numerous temples and shrines, including the

Zuihōden in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan is the mausoleum complex of Date Masamune and his heirs, daimyō of the Sendai Domain. History When Date Masamune, known as and founder of the Sendai Domain, died in 1636, he left instructions for a mausoleu ...

in 1637 and the

Sendai Tōshōgū is the memorial shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Five of its buildings, all dating to 1654, have been designated Important Cultural Properties. The torii and gates were damaged in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and ...

in 1654. On Tadamune's death on 12 July 1658, one of his senior retainers, Furuuchi Shigehiro, committed ritual suicide (''

junshi refers to the medieval Japanese act of vassals committing seppuku (a voluntary suicide) for the death of their lord. Originally it was only performed when the lord was slain in battle or murdered. Background The practice is described by Chines ...

''). Tadamune's sixth son

Date Tsunamune was an early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Sendai Domain in northern Japan from 1658 to 1660, and the 19th hereditary chieftain of the Date clan. Tsunamune's succession and rule was soon opposed by a number of his kinsm ...

became ''daimyō'' of Sendai.

Family

* Father: Date Masamune * Mother:

Megohime was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat from the Azuchi–Momoyama period to the early Edo period. She is the daughter and only child of Tamura Kiyoaki,Ōshima Kōichi, ''Ichinoseki Domain (Clan Stories Series)'', , page 12 the lord of Miharu ...

(Daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki) * Wife: Furihime (1607–1659), daughter of

and adopted daughter of

; also called Kōshōin **daughter: Nabehime (1623–1680) married Tachibana Tadashige, ''daimyō'' of Yanagawa Domain **1st son: Torachiyo (1624–1630) **2nd son: Date Mitsumune (1627–1645) * Concubine: Fusu (Daughter of Mitamura Matauemon; also called Shōunin) ** 3rd son:

Tamura Muneyoshi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Iwanuma Domain in Mutsu Province of early-Edo period Japan Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 63 of 80">("Tamura," ' ...

(1637-1678), ''daimyō'' of Iwanuma Domain ** 7th son: Date Munenori (1643–1685), adopted by ''hatamoto'' Date Kunitaka of the cadet Iwaya-Date clan * Concubine: Zuishōin (Daughter of Nagata Tadashige) ** 4th son: Date Gorokichi (1638–1644), adopted by ''hatamoto'' Shiroishi Munesada of the cadet Tome-Date clan ** 5th son: Date Munetomo (1640–1670), adopted as heir to the Tome-Date clan by his elder brother Date Gorokichi * Concubine: Kaihime (1624–1642, adopted daughter of Kushige Takachika; also called Tokushōin) ** 6th son:

(1640-1711), ''daimyō'' of Sendai Domain * Concubine: Take (Daughter of Yamato Tosa; also called Keiunin) ** 8th son: Date Munefusa (1646–1686), adopted by the Miyatoko-Date clan; father of Date Yoshimura ** 9th son: Īzaka Muneakira (1648–1663, adopted by the Izaka clan

References

* Papinot, Edmond. (1948). ''Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan''. New York: Overbeck Co.

External links

Sendai Domain on "Edo 300 HTML"
(3 November 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Date, Tadamune 1600 births 1658 deaths Tozama daimyo Date clan People of Edo-period Japan