was a Japanese samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 of the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

 through Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Azuchi-Momoyama period

The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...

, who served as a retainer of the Date clan. He held the court title of Wakasa no kami. Munezane first served Date Terumune

Date Terumune

was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He succeeded his father Harumune and became the sixteenth head of the Date clan of Mutsu Province. Date Masamune, the founder of the Sendai Domain, was his son....

, taking part in Terumune's later campaigns. After serving Masamune for several years, Munezane received the Shiomatsu region as his personal fief in 1586. When the Date invaded Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

 three years later, Munezane served under Date Shigezane

Date Shigezane

was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku through early Edo eras. Founder of the Watari-Date clan. A senior retainer of the Date clan of Sendai, he was a cousin of Date Masamune on his mother's side, and a cousin of Masamune's father Date Terumune on his father's side. Together with Oniniwa...

, who would later play an active role in the Ashina

Ashina clan

The , descended from Taira clan through the Miura clan, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period. Sometimes the kanji characters "芦名" and "葦名" are used also. The name came from the area called Ashina in the city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture....

 family's defeat. For his distinguished service in this conflict, Munezane was awarded the Mizusawa domain

Mizusawa Domain

The was a feudal domain in Mutsu Province of Japan during the Edo period. It was a subdomain of the Sendai Domain. Sometimes it was suggested that the domain be called "Naka-Tsuyama han"...

 and an income fief of 15,000 koku

Koku

The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...

. In the 1590s, Munezane went to Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

 and fought as part of Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

's invasion of the peninsula.

Munezane died while at Fushimi

Fushimi

Fushimi can refer to:*Emperor Fushimi of Japan*Fushimi, Kyoto, a ward of Kyoto City*Fushimi-no-miya, a branch of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, in 1599, at age 46. His adopted son Shiroishi Munenao succeeded him.