was a Japanese

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 ...

clan leader of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. Turnbull, Stephen. (2012)
''Samurai Commanders: 1577-1638,'' Vol, 2, p. 52
He had close relationship with

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

, one of the leading figures of the period. Terumune was the father of Date Masamune, who succeeded him as clan leader in 1584.

Biography

Terumune's childhood name was Hikotaro (彦太郎) later Sojiro (総次郎). He was born a warrior since his family is often in conflict with its neighbors. In 1568, Terumune attacked

Nihonmatsu Castle is a Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Nihonmatsu, northern Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Throughout most of the Edo period, Nihonmatsu Castle was home to the Niwa clan, ''daimyō'' of Nihonmatsu Domain. The castle was also known ...

against

Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu or Hatakeyama Yoshitsugu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was the 14th head of the Nihonmatsu clan (a branch of the Hatakeyama clan) of Mutsu. In 1568, Yoshitsugu was attacked by Date Terumune, the father of the famous Da ...

, outnumbered and defeated, Yoshitsugu pretended to surrender. In 1578, Terumune succeeded his father Harumune; and he became the sixteenth head of the

Date clan The is a Japanese samurai 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 ...

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

. Records show that Nobunaga cultivated a close relationship with Terumune. The daimyo often confided in him affairs of the state through letters. During his campaigns unifying Japan, he sent Terumune a letter boasting how he annihilated tens of thousands in Echizen and Kaga. When

was assassinated in 1582, Terumune gave his clan's support to

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

in the power struggle which followed. An account cited him as party to the negotiation with a local rival called

Hatakeyama Yoshitsugu or Hatakeyama Yoshitsugu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was the 14th head of the Nihonmatsu clan (a branch of the Hatakeyama clan) of Mutsu. In 1568, Yoshitsugu was attacked by Date Terumune, the father of the famous Da ...

. At this time, his son Date Masamune appear to be leading the clan. In 1585, Yoshitsugu was invited to a feast after an alliance was forged. A day after, when Masamune took the guest hunting, the latter's men abducted the undefended Terumune. Yoshitsugu stabbed Terumune to his death when he panicked as Masamune and his men caught up with him by the banks of the Abukuma River. A version of this account stated that Terumune was taken to the kidnapper's fort, where he was slain during Terumune's siege.

Family

* Father:

Date Harumune was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period.Yoshihime Yoshihime (義姫, 1548 – August 13, 1623) was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat from the Sengoku period. She was a daughter of Mogami Yoshimori from the Mogami clan, she married Date Terumune and gave birth to Date Masamune. Yoshihime becam ...

(1548-1623) *Sister:

Onamihime Onamihime (阿南姫, July 4, 1541 – August 30, 1602) was a late-Sengoku period Onna-musha. She was the first daughter of Date Harumune, sister of Date Terumune and aunt of Date Masamune. She was the ruler of Sukagawa castle in Mutsu Province. ...

* Children: ** Date Masamune by Yoshihime ** Date Masamichi (1568-1590) by Yoshihime ** Chikohime by Yoshihime ** Senshihime by Yoshihime

Retainers

Oniniwa Yoshinao also known as Oniniwa Sagetsusai was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served Date clan. He was deeply trusted by Date Terumune and Date Masamune. Yoshinao at the age of 73, bravely fought to let Masamune go during the Battle of Hi ...

Date Sanemoto was a Japanese samurai and commander of the Sengoku period. He was the third son of Date Tanemune His son Date Shigezane was also an important vassal of the Date clan. Date Tanemune tried to adopt him to the Uesugi clan The is a Japanese s ...

Endō Motonobu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Date clan. He was also known as . Motonobu had supposedly taken up residence at a Buddhist temple during his adult life, and from that point he managed to secure a retainer position unde ...

Shiroishi Munezane (1553?–1599) was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through Azuchi-Momoyama Period, who served as a retainer of the Date clan. He held the court title of '' Wakasa no kami''.NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

's 1987 Taiga drama '' Dokuganryū Masamune'', Terumune was played by

Kin'ya Kitaōji is a Japanese actor. Biography Early life He was born in Kyoto, son of '' jidaigeki'' film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II in Tokyo. Acting career Kin'ya made his debut with ...

References

Daimyo 1544 births 1585 deaths Date clan Deaths by firearm in Japan {{daimyo-stub