Date Tadamune

was an early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd daimyō of the 625,000 koku Sendai Domain in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. He was the half-brother of Date Hidemune of Uwajima Domain. Biography Tadamune was born as Torakikumaru (虎菊丸) later Sōjirō (総次郎) the second son of Date Masamune. Although he was the second son, his elder half-brother Date Hidemune was born by Lady Iisaka, a concubine, and was thus not eligible to rule. At the age of seven, he was betrothed to Ichi-hime, the 5th daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu; however, she died three years later, and he was betrothed again to the daughter of Ikeda Terumasa, who was also Ieyasu's grand-daughter. In 1611, shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada presided over his genpuku ceremony, and he received courtesy title was Mimasaka-no-kami, and Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade Court rank. He also received permission from the shōgun to use the Matsudaira surname as an honorific. At the time of the 1614 Siege of Osaka, he accompanied his father in the train of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and it was by order of Ieyasu that Date Hidemune was ordered to establish an independent branch of the Date clan at Uwajima in Shikoku with a kokudaka of 100,000 koku, whereas Date Tadamune was confirmed as heir to the main Date line at Sendai. Tadamune was elevated to Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, and given the honorary title of chamberlain in 1616. In 1624, his courtesy title was changed to Echizen-no-kami, and changed again in 1626 to Sakonoe-gon-shōshō (General of the Left Guards).