Date Hidemune Explained

Date Hidemune
Nationality:Japanese
Order:Daimyō of Uwajima
Term Start:1614
Term End:1657
Predecessor:Tomita Nobutaka
Successor:Date Munetoshi
Birth Date:November 11, 1591
Birth Place:Mutsu Province, Japan
Death Place:Uwajima Domain, Japan
Father:Date Masamune
Spouse:a daughter of Ii Naomasa
Allegiance:Date clan
Tokugawa Shogunate
Unit:Date clan
Commands:Uwajima Domain
Battles:Osaka Campaign

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 the adult name of Hidemune. Hideyoshi also granted him the court rank of and the title of ji-jū, appointing the young Hidemune as a page to his own son Toyotomi Hideyori. After Hideyoshi's death in 1600, he was made a hostage at the residence of Ukita Hideie.

Though he was Masamune's eldest son, Hidemune was born by a concubine, and therefore could not be the successor to the Sendai Domain, which his father ruled. Masamune therefore considered the possibility of having Hidemune start a branch family. This was made possible in 1614, when father and son took part in the Osaka Campaign: Hidemune received the 100,000 koku Uwajima Domain which Tokugawa Ieyasu granted to Masamune. Hidemune immediately entered his new fief as daimyō, and ruled until his retirement in Meireki 3 (1657).

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