Date Terumune | |
|---|---|
| 伊達輝宗 | |
 | |
| Head ofDate clan | |
| In office 1578–1584 | |
| Preceded by | Date Harumune |
| Succeeded by | Date Masamune |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1544 |
| Died | November 29, 1585(1585-11-29) (aged 40–41) |
| Resting place | Yonezawa, Yamagata |
| Spouse | Yoshihime |
| Children | Date Masamune Date Masamichi Date Hideo Chiko-hime |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Onamihime (sister) Rusu Masakage (brother) Ishikawa Akimitsu (brother) Kokubu Morishige (brother) Mogami Yoshiaki (brother-in-law) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Date clan Oda clan |
| Rank | Daimyo |
| Commands | Yonezawa Castle |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Nihonmatsu (1568) |
Date Terumune (伊達 輝宗,DAH-tay; 1544 – November 29, 1585) was a Japanesesamurai clan leader of theSengoku period.[1] He had close relationship withOda Nobunaga, one of the leading figures of the period. Terumune was the father ofDate Masamune,[1][2] who succeeded him as clan leader in 1584.[3]
Terumune's childhood name was Hikotaro (彦太郎) later Sojiro (総次郎). He was born a warrior since his family is often in conflict with its neighbors.[4]
In 1568, Terumune attackedNihonmatsu Castle againstNihonmatsu Yoshitsugu, outnumbered and defeated, Yoshitsugu pretended to surrender.
Terumune fought against theMogami Yoshiaki twice in different years, 1574 and 1578, in both battles, his wife, who also Yoshiaki sister,Yoshihime, advanced to the middle of the battlefield to create a peace treaty.[5]
Later in 1578, Terumune succeeded his fatherHarumune; and he became the sixteenth head of theDate clan ofMutsu Province.[6]
Records show that Nobunaga cultivated a close relationship with Terumune. The daimyo often confided in him affairs of the state through letters.[7] During his campaigns unifying Japan, he sent Terumune a letter boasting how he annihilated tens of thousands inEchizen andKaga.[8]
WhenOda Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582, Terumune gave his clan's support toToyotomi Hideyoshi in the power struggle which followed.[9]
An account cited him as party to the negotiation with a local rival calledHatakeyama Yoshitsugu.[10] At this time, his sonDate Masamune appear to be leading the clan. In 1585, Yoshitsugu was invited to a feast after an alliance was forged. A day after, when Masamune took the guest hunting, the latter's men abducted the undefended Terumune.[11][10] Yoshitsugu stabbed Terumune to his death when he panicked as Masamune and his men caught up with him by the banks of the Abukuma River.[10] A version of this account stated that Terumune was taken to the kidnapper's fort, where he was slain during Terumune's siege.[4]
InNHK's 1987Taiga dramaDokuganryū Masamune, Terumune was played byKin'ya Kitaōji.[12]