Date Terumune

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (December 2007)

Date Terumune (伊達輝宗, Date Terumune^? 1543-1585) was the sixteenth head of the reputed Date clan and father to 'One-Eyed Dragon' Date Masamune during the late-Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan. Terumune, being the son of Date Harumune–controller of Mutsu Province's Yonezawa Castle–as daimyo over the Date, Harumune gave up his position of headship to his son around the year 1560, at which he was fearful that the Ashikaga would harm him with another highly potential feud that would result in the Date's death, despite his suggestive dislike towards Terumune. As Terumune thus succeeded to headship, while his father retired in inner humiliation, the current head over Ashikaga, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, granted Terumune the character 'Teru' in his name, after which the young ruler to expand his territory over 30 districts by the age of 17 solely due to his evidential ties with the current Shogun.

[edit] Rise to Power and Death

As the years passed, Terumune not only established relations with the powerful Oda Nobunaga within the north, but was additionally seen as a very kind and generous ruler among others, being loved by the majority of his retainers as a resolution, who mutually reinforced their conviction towards Terumune by dedicating their lives to tear apart the Hatakeyama. This clan was stationed at Nihonmatsu castle of Mutsu, constantly threatening to harm the Date's influence. Retiring in favor of his seemingly capable son, Masamune, during the year of 1584, Masamune proved his renown against the Date's rival enemy, forcing Yoshitsugu, the head of Hatakeyama, to declare an intercension with Terumune one year later, at which they would both personally meet and settle their dispute. Unfortunately however, as Terumune presently arrived before Yoshitsugu with readiful intentions for peace, he was suddenly held at sword-point by the treacherous ruler of Hatakeyama: An incident at which Masamune immediately caught ear to, and arrived before the enemy's head castle in mere moments following such a report. Thus presently being the 29th of November, 1585, Masamune aligned his arqubusiers before Yoshitsugu and his soldiers, who held Terumune as hostage, and opened fire upon the latter immediately following his father's reasurance that death to him was nothing. Terumune thus died along with Yoshitsugu–although the highly probable solution exists that Yoshitsugu survived this incident and died a year later following besiegement–and many retainers under the Date willingly committed suicide as a means to prove their loyalty towards their newly deceased master; but Masamune did not allow for such motives, and continued to fight on as Terumune's heir, avenging the death of his father a year later, desolating the Hatakeyama of Mutsu, at the Battle of Hitotoribashi in 1585.