Date Tanemune

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Date Tanemune (伊達稙宗? 1488-1565) was the son of Date Hisamune and 14th successional head to the reputed Date clan during the early Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan. Being made governor (shugo) of Mutsu at the year 1522, at which he was then officially proclaimed as Date's 14th Head, Tanemune began a prestigious movement with the making of his family house codes -- appropriately deemed as their 'Jinkaishu' in 1536. Now presently being in a state of authority over the province--justifiably the northern part of Mutsu--Tanemune sympathatically intervened on behalf of the Ōsaki, a family that had been crucially suffering from internal strife, by giving his second son as heir to their house, and thus effectively building upon his influence. By the year 1542, Tanemune had long intended to expand his influence and power to outside regions for the sake of his reputation, and thus seized the circumstances involving the conflict between the Ogigayatsu and the Yamanouchi--the two primary branches of the Uesugi clan--by declaring his intentions to send his third son, Sanemoto, over to the Ogigayatsu, who neighbored him in Kozuke by the south, which he could then not only use their power to control the independent clans that laid within the south of Mutsu, but additionally destroy the Yamanouchi that could back such a threatful gesture to his power.

In retortion, however, Tanemune's son, Harumune, stated the detriment that would result towards the welfare of the Ōsaki and Soma clans of Mutsu, and gathered the support of an equal majority of Date retainers sympathetic to his cause after Tanemune resisted such reasoning. Internally conflicting against each other as a result, a clan war within the Date resulted--known as the Tenbun no ran--that lasted up until 1546, at which Terumune was unfortunately bested by Harumune's mutual assistance with the Ashina and Soma, forcing the unscrupulous ruler to stand down to his son, who succeeded that same year. Due to the ill-fortune of this incident, the Date thus lost a perfect opportunity for prestigious expansion, and would begin to decay as a primary result.

[edit] References

  1. Date Tanemune - SamuraiWiki. (Samurai Archives) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005
  2. Tenbun no ran - SamuraiWiki. (Samurai Archives) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005
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