This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
Many people, even those not particularly interested in history, are likely familiar with the warlord and daimyo Date Masamune, especially if they have ties to Yonezawa or Sendai. ButMasamune's father,what about Of course, Masamune would never have been born without Terumune, but it's also fair to say that Terumune laid the foundation for Masamune's expansion of power. However, Terumune's end was, at the very least, tragic, and some even suspect it may have been due to a conspiracy orchestrated by Masamune.
The birth of Date Terumune
Date Terumunein 1544Date Harumuneas the second son ofNishiyama Castle, Date Countywas born His childhood name was Hikotaro, later changed to Sojiro. Although he was the second son, his older brother, the eldest son, had already been chosen as the adopted heir of their maternal grandfather, so Sojiro was quickly designated as the successor to the Date family.
As a side note, it wasn't uncommon for warlords to have many children during this period (such as Oda Nobunaga and his father Nobuhide, Hojo Ujiyasu, and Tokugawa Ieyasu). However, Date Terumune's father, Harumune, is known for having many children with his principal wife, Kubohime. Kubohime gave birth to 11 children (6 sons and 5 daughters), including TerumuneIt is said thatMatsuis said to be the same number as the 11 children (2 sons and 9 daughters) born to While it was a time when women gave birth to more children than today, this is still an astonishing number.
when Terumune was bornRebellionwas in the midst of the Tenbun The Tenbun Rebellion was an internal conflict that lasted for six years between Tanemune, the head of the Date family at the time, and his eldest son, Harumune. It is said that the Date family's power declined as a result of this rebellion.
The rebellion ended in 1548 with a victory for Harumune's side, and Harumune became the head of the Date family. Since Harumune moved his residence to Yonezawa Castle (Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture), Terumune, along with his mother and siblings, also moved to Yonezawa Castle.
In 1555, at the age of 12, Sojiro underwent his coming-of-age ceremony. He received a character from Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the 13th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, andTerumunetook the name Date Ten years later, around 1565, he became the 16th head of the Date clan following his father Harumune's retirement. In 1567, his eldest son, Bontenmaru, later known as Date Masamune, was born.
When Date Terumune became the head of the family, the real power within the clan was held by Harumune and the powerful Nakano Munetoki and Makino Hisanaka, father and son. So Terumune began to increase his allies outside the clan by arranging marriages, such as marrying his sister to Morioki, the eldest son of Ashina Moriuji of Aizu, and marrying Yoshihime, the daughter of Mogami Yoshimori of Yamagata.
In 1570, he suppressed a rebellion by the Nakano father and son, banishing them and punishing retainers who had been uncooperative with Terumune. He also maintained diplomatic relations with powerful distant daimyo, such as sending a falcon to Oda Nobunaga. In December of 1578 (January 1578), his father, Harumune, died, and real power within the family was consolidated under Terumune. Just as his father Harumune had, Terumune also opposed his father and ultimately triumphed over him.
Restored the power of the Date clan
After gaining control of the family, Terumune intensified his offensive against the Soma family, whose base was in what is now Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, and came to control the entire Igu district (southern Miyagi Prefecture). In 1584, he had almost completely recovered the sphere of influence of the Date family during his grandfather Tanemune's time, andwield considerable influence throughout southern Oshucame to
Around this time, Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi) had solidified his position as the successor to Oda Nobunaga's ambitions, following his downfall in the Honnoji Incident. Terumune had indicated that if Hideyoshi's influence extended to the Oshu region, the various daimyo of Oshu would cooperate to oppose him. This shows just how significant Terumune's influence and voice were.
Retirement
In October of Tensho 12 (1584), Moritaka (the adopted son of Moriuji), the head of the Ashina family and an ally of the Date family, was murdered by his retainers. As a result, Kameomaru, who was only one month old, became the head of the Ashina family. Terumune became Kameomaru's guardian, and this prompted him to relinquish the headship of the Date family to Masamune (there are various theories as to why he relinquished the family headship, but it is certainly not as simple as "I relinquished it because Masamune is an amazing guy").
Having made Tateyama Castle (Yonezawa City) his new residence, Terumune intended to oppose Uesugi Kagekatsu of Echigo alongside the Ashina and Mogami families. However, Masamune, who became the head of the family, made peace with the Uesugi family. It is easy to imagine that this difference in diplomatic policies between Terumune and Masamune created conflict between father and son. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Tanemune and father Harumune, Terumune also experienced conflict with his own son.
Shot dead on the Abukuma River
Masamune's shift in foreign policy caused the diplomatic order in southern Oshu to begin to break down. As the fighting escalated,Nihonmatsu (Hatakeyama) Yoshitsugu, came under attack from the Date family. In October of Tensho 13 (1585), he offered to surrender to Masamune. Terumune and Date Sanemoto (son of Date Tanemune, and therefore Terumune's uncle) mediated the surrender.
Therefore, on October 8th, Yoshitsugu visited Terumune, who was staying at Miyamori Castle (Nihonmatsu City), under the pretext of "expressing his gratitude for the mediation." However, as Terumune was about to see Yoshitsugu off at the entrance after their meeting, he was captured by Yoshitsugu and his retainers. Yoshitsugu had kidnapped Terumune and was taking him hostage, intending to return to Nihonmatsu Castle.
According to the official records of the Date family, Date Shigezane (son of Sanemoto) and Rusu Masakage (Terumune's younger brother), who were present at the meeting between Terumune and Yoshitsugu, led their troops and pursued Terumune and Yoshitsugu from a distance. However, when they reached Takadahara on the banks of the Abukuma River, which was the border with the Nihonmatsu territory,Terumune shouted for them to shoot him, and the Date forces fired their guns all at once. Terumune and Yoshitsugu and the Nihonmatsu forces were killed, and it is said that by the time Masamune, who was in the middle of a falconry hunt, arrived at the scene, it was already all over.
However, this is only the sequence of events recorded in official records, and there are various theories about Terumune's final moments. realizing there was no escape after Masamune rushed to the scene,Yoshitsugu,to death, and then Masamune shot down the Nihonmatsu forcespersonally shot both Terumune and Yoshitsugu. Another theory is that
Masamune to eliminate Terumune, as he had grown distant from himthis was a conspiracy orchestrated bytheory suggests that Records left by Date Shigezane indicate that Date Masamune's subordinates, who were supposed to have rushed to the scene from a falconry expedition, were inexplicably fully armed, and this is considered one piece of evidence supporting the theory that it was Masamune's conspiracy.
In any case, even though it was a time of constant warfare, the end of Date Terumune's life was tragic, abrupt, and far too early for a man who could be called a hero and laid the foundation for the Date family's prosperity. He died at the age of 42.
Furthermore, regardless of the extent of Masamune's responsibility in this matter, he came to be seen as the man who killed his father (in fact, even now, about 440 years later, he is still suspected of having murdered his father). With the loss of Terumune, who was skilled in diplomacy, relations between the Date family and their neighboring powers deteriorated rapidly, and Masamune was forced to endure a difficult period of fighting for several years to come.
summary
Regardless of whether there was any conflict between him and Masamune, Terumune was very enthusiastic about the education of his eldest son, Masamune. He invited many renowned scholars and monks to provide him with a broad education, and evenKatakura Kagetunaarranged for people who would later support Masamune, such as Furthermore, restoring the power of the Date family, which had been in decline, was undoubtedly one of Terumune's greatest achievements. Without Terumune, the historical first lord of the Sendai domain, Date Masamune, would never have existed.
![Whisky Collection Koriyama](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0751-EDIT-150x150.jpg.webp "Report from the first whisky event in Tohoku, "Whiskey Collection Koriyama"! [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![11_MG_9631](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/11_MG_9631-150x150.jpg.webp "Pilgrimage to the 33 Kannon temples remaining in Minamiaizu. The "Mikurairi 33 Kannon temples" certified as a Japan Heritage Site [Fukushima Prefecture]")
