-Masamune Date-

(1567–1636). Warrior of the Azuchi-Momoyama (1568–1600) and early Edo (1600–1868) periods. Eldest son of Date Terumune (1544–85), lord of Yonezawa Castle (in what is now Yamagata Prefecture). He was known by the nickname Dokuganryu (“One-Eyed Dragon”) because he had lost sight in one eye as a child. Succeeding to the headship of the family at 17, he extended his sway over more than 30 districts (gun) in the provinces of Mutsu (now Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori prefectures) and Dewa (now Yamagata and Akita prefectures). In 1589 Date defeated the Ashina family and moved his base to a castle in Aizu in what is now Fukushima Prefecture. The following year he was obliged to yield the castle to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Later he was given another castle by Hideyoshi for his role in suppressing peasant uprisings. In the Battle of Sekigahara he fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and for his efforts he was rewarded with the enormous Sendai domain. While ruling with an iron hand as daimyo, Date built up the castle town of Sendai, promoted land reclamation, and started a salt industry. Originally interested in Christianity and the West, he abandoned this stance after the shogunate proscribed Christianity and limited foreign contacts