Date Masamune
Encyclopedia
was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period
through early Edo period
. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo
in the Tōhoku region
, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made all the more iconic for his missing eye, and Date was often called dokuganryū (独眼竜), or the "one-eyed dragon".
As a legendary warrior and leader, Masamune is a character in a number of Japanese period dramas
. He was played by Ken Watanabe
in the popular 1987 NHK
series Dokuganryu Masamune.
Date Masamune was the eldest son of Date Terumune
, born in Yonezawa
Castle (in modern Yamagata Prefecture
). At the age of 14 in 1581 Masamune led his first campaign, helping his father fight the Sōma family. In 1584, at the age of 17, Masamune succeeded his father, Terumune, who chose to retire from his position as daimyo.
The Date family was founded in the early Kamakura period
by Isa Tomomune, who originally came from the Isa district of Hitachi Province
(now Ibaraki Prefecture
). The family took its name from the Date district (now Fukushima Prefecture
) of Mutsu Province
, which had been awarded to Isa Tomomune by Minamoto no Yoritomo
, the first Kamakura shogun
, for his assistance in the Genpei War
(1180–85) and in Minamoto no Yoritomo’s struggle for power with his brother, Minamoto no Yoshitsune
. Date Masamune's army is recognized by its black armor and golden headgear.
Masamune is known for a few things that made him stand out from other daimyo of the time. In particular, his famous crescent-moon-bearing helmet
won him a fearsome reputation. As a child, smallpox
robbed him of sight in his right eye, though it is unclear exactly how he lost the organ entirely. Some sources say he plucked out the eye himself when a senior member of the clan pointed out that an enemy could grab it in a fight. Others say that he had his trusted retainer Katakura Kojūrō
gouge out the eye for him. Because of his missing eye, his own mother condemned him as unfit to take over as clan leader and began favoring his younger brother as heir.
The Date clan had built alliances with neighboring clans through marriages over previous generations. However, there were many disputes over the lands during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Shortly after Masamune's succession, a Date retainer named Ōuchi Sadatsuna defected to the Ashina clan of the Aizu
region. Masamune declared war on the Ashina for this betrayal, but his army was halted by the Ashina general Iwashiro Morikuni, who forced Masamune to retire from the campaign. Masamune took control of Obama Castle
after this.
With the rise of Masamune, formerly amicable relationships were cast aside as he began to attack and conquer all of the surrounding lands, even those of his kin in Mutsu and Dewa Provinces. Shocked by his ruthlessness, a neighboring family, the Hatakeyama, desperately appealed to Date Terumune to rein in his son's military campaigns. Invited to dinner by the Hatakeyama, Terumune said that he was unable to control his son. In an unheard-of act of desperation, the family kidnapped Terumune and attempted to take him back with them. Masamune, who was out hunting, received word of the kidnapping. When he and his men closed in on the kidnappers as they were about to cross a river, Terumune ordered his son's men to kill all the enemy, even at the cost of his own life. Masamune's men did as they were told and killed everyone, including Terumune. Masamune continued the war and tortured and killed the families of his father's kidnappers.
After defeating the Ashina in 1589, he made the Aizu domain his base of operations.
Meanwhile, his relationship with his mother, Yoshihime, continued to deteriorate. Yoshihime insisted Masamune resign the succession to her second son, Kojiro. According to some historians, she tried to poison him one night while serving him dinner. Masamune consequently killed his own brother in order to come to power. After this tragedy, his mother fled to her brother's home, the Mogami clan.
In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
seized Odawara Castle
and compelled the Tōhoku region
daimyos to participate in the campaign. Although Masamune refused Hideyoshi's demands at first, he had no real choice in the matter since Hideyoshi was the virtual ruler of Japan. Masamune still delayed, infuriating Hideyoshi. Expecting to be executed, Masamune, wearing his finest clothes and showing no fear, faced his angry overlord. Not wanting further trouble, Hideyoshi spared his life, saying that "He could be of some use".
After serving Hideyoshi for a time, he was given Iwatesawa castle and the surrounding lands as his home domain. Masamune moved there in 1591, rebuilt the castle, renamed it Iwadeyama
, and encouraged the growth of a town at its base. Masamune stayed at Iwadeyama for 13 years and turned the region into a major political and economic center. He and his men served with distinction in the Korean invasions under Hideyoshi and, after Hideyoshi's death, he began to support Tokugawa Ieyasu
— apparently at the advice of Katakura Kojūrō.
Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded Masamune the lordship of the huge and profitable Sendai Domain
, which made Masamune one of Japan’s most powerful daimyo. Tokugawa had promised Masamune a one million koku
domain, but, even after substantial improvements were made, the land only produced 640,000 koku, most of which was used to feed the Edo region. In 1604, Masamune, accompanied by 52,000 vassals and their families, moved to what was then the small fishing village of Sendai
. He left his fourth son, Date Muneyasu, to rule Iwadeyama. Masamune would turn Sendai into a large and prosperous city.
Although Masamune was a patron of the arts and sympathized with foreign causes, he was also an aggressive and ambitious daimyo. When he first took over the Date clan, he suffered a few major defeats from powerful and influential clans such as the Ashina. These defeats were arguably caused by recklessness on Masamune's part.
Being a major power in northern Japan, Masamune was naturally viewed with suspicion, as any potential rival would be viewed. Toyotomi Hideyoshi reduced the size of his land holdings after his tardiness in coming to the Siege of Odawara
against Hōjō Ujimasa
. Later in his life, Tokugawa Ieyasu increased the size of his lands again, but was constantly suspicious of Masamune and his policies. He was particularly suspicious of foreign missionaries, whom he perceived as a threat to his power.
Although Tokugawa Ieyasu and other Date allies were always suspicious of him, Date Masamune for the most part served the Tokugawa and Toyotomi loyally. He took part in Hideyoshi's campaigns in Korea, and in the Osaka campaigns
. When Tokugawa Ieyasu was on his deathbed, Masamune visited him and read him a piece of Zen
poetry. Masamune was highly respected for his ethics
; a still-quoted aphorism is, "Rectitude carried to excess hardens into stiffness; benevolence indulged beyond measure sinks into weakness."
of the later Tokugawa shogunate
. He built many palaces and worked on many projects to beautify the region. He is also known to have encouraged foreigners to come to his land. It is unlikely that Masamune himself was secretly a Christian convert. Even though he funded and promoted an envoy to establish relations with the Pope in Rome, he was likely motivated at least in part by a desire for foreign technology, similar to that of other lords, such as Oda Nobunaga
. Further, once Tokugawa Ieyasu outlawed Christianity, Masamune reversed his position, and though disliking it, let Ieyasu persecute Christians in his domain. For 270 years, Tōhoku remained a place of tourism, trade and prosperity. Matsushima
, for instance, a series of tiny islands, was praised for its beauty and serenity by the wandering haiku
poet Matsuo Bashō
.
He showed sympathy for Christian missionaries and traders in Japan. In addition to allowing them to come and preach in his province, he also released the prisoner and missionary Padre Sotelo
from the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Date Masamune allowed Sotelo as well as other missionaries to practice their religion and win converts in Tōhoku.
Masamune's greatest achievement was funding and backing one of Japan's few journeys of far-flung diplomacy and exploration in this period. He ordered the building of the exploration ship Date Maru
or San Juan Bautista
, using foreign (European) ship-building techniques. He sent one of his retainers, Hasekura Tsunenaga
, Sotelo, and an embassy numbering 180 on a successful voyage to establish relations with the Pope in Rome
. This expedition visited such places as the Philippines
, Mexico
, Spain
and Rome, making it the first Japanese voyage to sail around the world. Previously, Japanese lords had never funded this sort of venture, so it was probably the first successful voyage. At least five members of the expedition stayed in Coria
(Seville) of Spain to avoid the persecution of Christians in Japan. 600 of their descendants, with the surname Japón (Japan), are now living in Spain.
When the Tokugawa government banned Christianity, Masamune had to obey the law. However, some sources suggest that Masamune's eldest daughter, Iroha, was a Christian.
Azuchi-Momoyama period
The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...
through early Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
in the Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made all the more iconic for his missing eye, and Date was often called dokuganryū (独眼竜), or the "one-eyed dragon".
As a legendary warrior and leader, Masamune is a character in a number of Japanese period dramas
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
. He was played by Ken Watanabe
Ken Watanabe
is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best...
in the popular 1987 NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
series Dokuganryu Masamune.
Background
Date Terumune
was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He succeeded his father Harumune and became the sixteenth head of the Date clan of Mutsu Province. Date Masamune, the founder of the Sendai Domain, was his son....
, born in Yonezawa
Yonezawa, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 91,704 and the population density of 167 persons per square kilometer...
Castle (in modern Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
). At the age of 14 in 1581 Masamune led his first campaign, helping his father fight the Sōma family. In 1584, at the age of 17, Masamune succeeded his father, Terumune, who chose to retire from his position as daimyo.
The Date family was founded in the early Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
by Isa Tomomune, who originally came from the Isa district of Hitachi Province
Hitachi Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Iwashiro, Iwaki, Shimousa, and Shimotsuke Provinces....
(now Ibaraki Prefecture
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
). The family took its name from the Date district (now Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
) of Mutsu Province
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
, which had been awarded to Isa Tomomune by Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...
, the first Kamakura shogun
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
, for his assistance in the Genpei War
Genpei War
The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....
(1180–85) and in Minamoto no Yoritomo’s struggle for power with his brother, Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura...
. Date Masamune's army is recognized by its black armor and golden headgear.
Historical person
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
won him a fearsome reputation. As a child, smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
robbed him of sight in his right eye, though it is unclear exactly how he lost the organ entirely. Some sources say he plucked out the eye himself when a senior member of the clan pointed out that an enemy could grab it in a fight. Others say that he had his trusted retainer Katakura Kojūrō
Katakura Kagetsuna
was a Japanese samurai of the Katakura clan during the late Sengoku period. Also known by his court title, Bichū no Kami , or more commonly, as Katakura Kojūrō. Together with Oniniwa Tsunamoto and Date Shigezane, Kagetsuna was known as one of the "Three Great Men of the Date Clan"...
gouge out the eye for him. Because of his missing eye, his own mother condemned him as unfit to take over as clan leader and began favoring his younger brother as heir.
The Date clan had built alliances with neighboring clans through marriages over previous generations. However, there were many disputes over the lands during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Shortly after Masamune's succession, a Date retainer named Ōuchi Sadatsuna defected to the Ashina clan of the Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
region. Masamune declared war on the Ashina for this betrayal, but his army was halted by the Ashina general Iwashiro Morikuni, who forced Masamune to retire from the campaign. Masamune took control of Obama Castle
Obama Castle (Mutsu)
is a mountain castle in the former Iwashiro , Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The ruins of the inner tower are now part of a historical park.-History:...
after this.
With the rise of Masamune, formerly amicable relationships were cast aside as he began to attack and conquer all of the surrounding lands, even those of his kin in Mutsu and Dewa Provinces. Shocked by his ruthlessness, a neighboring family, the Hatakeyama, desperately appealed to Date Terumune to rein in his son's military campaigns. Invited to dinner by the Hatakeyama, Terumune said that he was unable to control his son. In an unheard-of act of desperation, the family kidnapped Terumune and attempted to take him back with them. Masamune, who was out hunting, received word of the kidnapping. When he and his men closed in on the kidnappers as they were about to cross a river, Terumune ordered his son's men to kill all the enemy, even at the cost of his own life. Masamune's men did as they were told and killed everyone, including Terumune. Masamune continued the war and tortured and killed the families of his father's kidnappers.
After defeating the Ashina in 1589, he made the Aizu domain his base of operations.
Meanwhile, his relationship with his mother, Yoshihime, continued to deteriorate. Yoshihime insisted Masamune resign the succession to her second son, Kojiro. According to some historians, she tried to poison him one night while serving him dinner. Masamune consequently killed his own brother in order to come to power. After this tragedy, his mother fled to her brother's home, the Mogami clan.
In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
seized Odawara Castle
Siege of Odawara (1590)
The third ' occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power. The months leading up to it saw hasty but major improvements in the defense of the castle, as Hideyoshi's intentions became clear...
and compelled the Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
daimyos to participate in the campaign. Although Masamune refused Hideyoshi's demands at first, he had no real choice in the matter since Hideyoshi was the virtual ruler of Japan. Masamune still delayed, infuriating Hideyoshi. Expecting to be executed, Masamune, wearing his finest clothes and showing no fear, faced his angry overlord. Not wanting further trouble, Hideyoshi spared his life, saying that "He could be of some use".
After serving Hideyoshi for a time, he was given Iwatesawa castle and the surrounding lands as his home domain. Masamune moved there in 1591, rebuilt the castle, renamed it Iwadeyama
Iwadeyama, Miyagi
was a town located in Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi, Japan.In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 13,476 and a population density of 95.78 persons per km²...
, and encouraged the growth of a town at its base. Masamune stayed at Iwadeyama for 13 years and turned the region into a major political and economic center. He and his men served with distinction in the Korean invasions under Hideyoshi and, after Hideyoshi's death, he began to support Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
— apparently at the advice of Katakura Kojūrō.
Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded Masamune the lordship of the huge and profitable Sendai Domain
Sendai Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Most of its holdings were contiguous, covering all of modern-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a portion of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. The domain's capital, and the ruling family's castle, were located in what...
, which made Masamune one of Japan’s most powerful daimyo. Tokugawa had promised Masamune a one million koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
domain, but, even after substantial improvements were made, the land only produced 640,000 koku, most of which was used to feed the Edo region. In 1604, Masamune, accompanied by 52,000 vassals and their families, moved to what was then the small fishing village of Sendai
Sendai, Miyagi
is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
. He left his fourth son, Date Muneyasu, to rule Iwadeyama. Masamune would turn Sendai into a large and prosperous city.
Although Masamune was a patron of the arts and sympathized with foreign causes, he was also an aggressive and ambitious daimyo. When he first took over the Date clan, he suffered a few major defeats from powerful and influential clans such as the Ashina. These defeats were arguably caused by recklessness on Masamune's part.
Being a major power in northern Japan, Masamune was naturally viewed with suspicion, as any potential rival would be viewed. Toyotomi Hideyoshi reduced the size of his land holdings after his tardiness in coming to the Siege of Odawara
Siege of Odawara (1590)
The third ' occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power. The months leading up to it saw hasty but major improvements in the defense of the castle, as Hideyoshi's intentions became clear...
against Hōjō Ujimasa
Hojo Ujimasa
was the fourth head of the late Hōjō clan, and daimyo of Odawara.Ujimasa commanded in many battles, consolidating his clan's position, and retired in 1590. His son Hōjō Ujinao became head of the clan and lord of Odawara, but later that year they failed to hold Odawara against the forces of Toyotomi...
. Later in his life, Tokugawa Ieyasu increased the size of his lands again, but was constantly suspicious of Masamune and his policies. He was particularly suspicious of foreign missionaries, whom he perceived as a threat to his power.
Although Tokugawa Ieyasu and other Date allies were always suspicious of him, Date Masamune for the most part served the Tokugawa and Toyotomi loyally. He took part in Hideyoshi's campaigns in Korea, and in the Osaka campaigns
Siege of Osaka
The was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages , and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment...
. When Tokugawa Ieyasu was on his deathbed, Masamune visited him and read him a piece of Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
poetry. Masamune was highly respected for his ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
; a still-quoted aphorism is, "Rectitude carried to excess hardens into stiffness; benevolence indulged beyond measure sinks into weakness."
Patron of culture and Christianity
Masamune expanded trade in the otherwise remote, backwater Tōhoku region. Although initially faced with attacks by hostile clans, he managed to overcome them after a few defeats and eventually ruled one of the largest fiefdomsSendai Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Most of its holdings were contiguous, covering all of modern-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a portion of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. The domain's capital, and the ruling family's castle, were located in what...
of the later Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. He built many palaces and worked on many projects to beautify the region. He is also known to have encouraged foreigners to come to his land. It is unlikely that Masamune himself was secretly a Christian convert. Even though he funded and promoted an envoy to establish relations with the Pope in Rome, he was likely motivated at least in part by a desire for foreign technology, similar to that of other lords, such as Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
. Further, once Tokugawa Ieyasu outlawed Christianity, Masamune reversed his position, and though disliking it, let Ieyasu persecute Christians in his domain. For 270 years, Tōhoku remained a place of tourism, trade and prosperity. Matsushima
Matsushima
is a group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. There are some 260 tiny islands covered in pines – hence the name – and is ranked as one of the Three Views of Japan....
, for instance, a series of tiny islands, was praised for its beauty and serenity by the wandering haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poet Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
.
He showed sympathy for Christian missionaries and traders in Japan. In addition to allowing them to come and preach in his province, he also released the prisoner and missionary Padre Sotelo
Luis Sotelo
Blessed Luis Sotelo was a Franciscan friar who died as a martyr in Japan, in 1624, and was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1867....
from the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Date Masamune allowed Sotelo as well as other missionaries to practice their religion and win converts in Tōhoku.
Japanese warship San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista was one of Japan's first Japanese-built Western-style sail warships. She crossed the Pacific in 1614. She was of the Spanish galleon type, known in Japan as Nanban-Sen San Juan Bautista (“St. John the Baptist”) (originally called Date Maru, 伊達丸 in Japanese) was one of Japan's...
or San Juan Bautista
Japanese warship San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista was one of Japan's first Japanese-built Western-style sail warships. She crossed the Pacific in 1614. She was of the Spanish galleon type, known in Japan as Nanban-Sen San Juan Bautista (“St. John the Baptist”) (originally called Date Maru, 伊達丸 in Japanese) was one of Japan's...
, using foreign (European) ship-building techniques. He sent one of his retainers, Hasekura Tsunenaga
Hasekura Tsunenaga
Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga or was a Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai....
, Sotelo, and an embassy numbering 180 on a successful voyage to establish relations with the Pope in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. This expedition visited such places as the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Rome, making it the first Japanese voyage to sail around the world. Previously, Japanese lords had never funded this sort of venture, so it was probably the first successful voyage. At least five members of the expedition stayed in Coria
Coria del Río
Coria del Río is a small town near Seville, on the shores of Guadalquivir river.It is popularly known because there are some descendants of the first-ever Japanese official envoy to Spain. In early 17th century, Daimyo Date Masamune of Sendai sent a delegation led by Hasekura Tsunenaga to Europe....
(Seville) of Spain to avoid the persecution of Christians in Japan. 600 of their descendants, with the surname Japón (Japan), are now living in Spain.
When the Tokugawa government banned Christianity, Masamune had to obey the law. However, some sources suggest that Masamune's eldest daughter, Iroha, was a Christian.
Family
- Father
- Date TerumuneDate Terumunewas a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He succeeded his father Harumune and became the sixteenth head of the Date clan of Mutsu Province. Date Masamune, the founder of the Sendai Domain, was his son....
- Date Terumune
- Mother
- Yoshihime, daughter of Mogami Yoshimori the daimyo of Dewa ProvinceDewa Provinceis an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...
- Yoshihime, daughter of Mogami Yoshimori the daimyo of Dewa Province
- Wife
- Megohime, daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki owner of Miharu Castle in Mutsu ProvinceMutsu Provincewas an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
- Megohime, daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki owner of Miharu Castle in Mutsu Province
- Children
- Date HidemuneDate Hidemunewas a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. He was the eldest son of Date Masamune, born in 1596 by Lady Iisaka . Coming of age while living with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he received a character from Hideyoshi's name and took the adult name of Hidemune...
(1591–1658), first holder of the Uwajima DomainUwajima DomainThe was a feudal domain in Iyo Province of Japan during the Edo period. It was ruled from 1608 to 1613 by the Tomita clan. After a brief period as Tokugawa-controlled tenryō territory, the domain passed into the hands of the Date clan. The founder was Date Hidemune , first-born son of Date Masamune... - Date TadamuneDate Tadamunewas a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period. The 2nd son of the famous and powerful daimyō Date Masamune, he succeeded his father as lord of Sendai. Although he was the 2nd son, his half-brother Date Hidemune was born by Lady Iisaka, a concubine, and was not eligible to rule...
(1599–1658) - Date Munekatsu (1621–1679)
- Date Munekiyo (1600–1634)
- Date Munetsuna (1603–1618)
- Date Munetaka (1607–1626)
- Date Munesane (1613–1665)
- Irohahime (1594–1661)
- Date Hidemune
- Cousins
- Date ShigezaneDate Shigezanewas a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku through early Edo eras. Founder of the Watari-Date clan. A senior retainer of the Date clan of Sendai, he was a cousin of Date Masamune on his mother's side, and a cousin of Masamune's father Date Terumune on his father's side. Together with Oniniwa...
(1568–1646)
- Date Shigezane
Masamune in popular culture
See People of the Sengoku period in popular culture.Further reading
- Kobayashi Seiji 小林清治. Date Masamune 伊達政宗. Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan 吉川弘文館, 1959.
- Owada Tetsuo 小和田哲男. Date Masamune: shiden 伊達政宗: 史伝. Tokyo: Gakken 学研, 2000.
- Ken-ichi Sato 佐藤憲一. Date Masamune's letters 伊達政宗の手紙. Tokyo: Sinchosensho 新潮選書, 1995.
External links
- The official website of the Date clan
- Zuihoden — The mausoleum of Date Masamune. When he died, twenty of his followers killed themselves (committed junshiJunshi, refers to the medieval Japanese act of vassals committing seppuku upon the death of their lord...
) to serve him in the next life. They lay in state at Zuihōden - Aoba-jo (Sendai Castle) website
- An example of Date-influenced architecture
- "TEN-CHI-JIN" General of UESUGI Clan NAOE KANETSUGU - (Japanese)-Kabuto(Samurai Helmet) Papercraft
