Date Tsunamune
Encyclopedia
was the daimyō
(lord) of Sendai han for about two years, from 1658 to 1660. His father, Date Tadamune
, died in 1658, but Tsunamune's succession and rule was soon opposed by a number of his kinsmen and vassals. This dispute eventually led to the Date Sōdō
or "Date Disturbance" of 1671, which has been retold in theatre, and has become one of the more well-known tales of unrest and disunity among the daimyō of the Edo period
.
In 1660, Tsunamune was in the capital of Edo
, working on clearing and deepening a waterway in the city; this was part of the service he owed to the shogun
each year, under the feudal system of corvée
. A number of his relatives and vassals who opposed his rule came to Edo to petition the bakufu (shogunate
) for his son, Date Tsunamura
, to become daimyō. Tsunamune was dismissed from his corvée work, and arrested, under the charges of public drunkenness and debauchery to which, as the story goes, he was genuinely guilty.
Tsunamura was made daimyō, though the bakufu did not make this decision lightly. The Tairō
Sakai Tadakiyo
took a personal interest in the situation, and the Sendai
Metsuke
visited the area every year, informing the Tairō and other officials in Edo of the situation as well. Though Sakai had been friendly with Tadamune (Tsunamune's father, the previous lord), and did not wish to take extreme steps against Tsunamune, he had been delinquent in his responsibilities as daimyō, and the pressure from his political opponents was very strong.
Ultimately, despite some unsavory behavior on the part of Tsunamune's opponents, his son remained daimyō.
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...
(lord) of Sendai han for about two years, from 1658 to 1660. His father, Date Tadamune
Date Tadamune
was 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...
, died in 1658, but Tsunamune's succession and rule was soon opposed by a number of his kinsmen and vassals. This dispute eventually led to the Date Sōdō
Date Sodo
The Date Sōdō , or Date Disturbance, was a noble family dispute within the Date samurai clan, which occurred in 1671.-History:In 1660, the daimyō of the Sendai Domain, and clan head, Date Tsunamune was arrested in Edo, for drunkenness and debauchery...
or "Date Disturbance" of 1671, which has been retold in theatre, and has become one of the more well-known tales of unrest and disunity among the daimyō of the 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....
.
In 1660, Tsunamune was in the capital of Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, working on clearing and deepening a waterway in the city; this was part of the service he owed to the shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
each year, under the feudal system of corvée
Corvée
Corvée is unfree labour, often unpaid, that is required of people of lower social standing and imposed on them by the state or a superior . The corvée was the earliest and most widespread form of taxation, which can be traced back to the beginning of civilization...
. A number of his relatives and vassals who opposed his rule came to Edo to petition the bakufu (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...
) for his son, Date Tsunamura
Date Tsunamura
was a daimyo in mid-17th century Tokugawa Japan whose life was at the center of the Date Sōdō or "Date Disturbance", a very famous noble conflict of the period....
, to become daimyō. Tsunamune was dismissed from his corvée work, and arrested, under the charges of public drunkenness and debauchery to which, as the story goes, he was genuinely guilty.
Tsunamura was made daimyō, though the bakufu did not make this decision lightly. The Tairō
Tairo
Tairō was a high-ranking official position in the bakuhan taisei government of Japan. The tairō would preside over the governing Rōjū council in the event of an emergency. A tairō would be nominated from among a group of samurai families who supported Tokugawa Ieyasu...
Sakai Tadakiyo
Sakai Tadakiyo
, also known as Uta-no-kami, was a daimyō in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan....
took a personal interest in the situation, and the 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...
Metsuke
Metsuke
' were the censors or the inspectors of Tokugawa Japan. They were bakufu officials ranking somewhat lower than the bugyō. The metsuke were charged with the special duty of detecting and investigating instances of maladministration, corruption or disaffection anywhere in Japan; and particularly...
visited the area every year, informing the Tairō and other officials in Edo of the situation as well. Though Sakai had been friendly with Tadamune (Tsunamune's father, the previous lord), and did not wish to take extreme steps against Tsunamune, he had been delinquent in his responsibilities as daimyō, and the pressure from his political opponents was very strong.
Ultimately, despite some unsavory behavior on the part of Tsunamune's opponents, his son remained daimyō.