Sendai Domain (1/2)The Date family continues to rule.

The Sendai domain was a domain that had its headquarters at Sendai Castle and ruled over 620,000 koku of territory in present-day Miyagi Prefecture, southern Iwate Prefecture, Shinchi Town in Fukushima Prefecture, and enclaves in Ibaraki Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture. From the time the domain was established until the end of the Edo period, the Date family, whose founder was Date Masamune, served as the domain lord. Now, let's unravel the history of the Sendai domain.

Date Masamune, the first lord of the domain, was trusted by Tokugawa Ieyasu despite being wary of him.

The Sendai domain was founded in 1601. At this time, Date Masamune and Uesugi Kagekatsu were the two major powers in the Tohoku region, each ruling vast territories. However, Date Masamune had lost most of his Aizu territory due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's punishment of Oshu. Kagekatsu Uesugi wielded power as one of the Five Elders of the Toyotomi family. Therefore, Date Masamune approached Tokugawa Ieyasu after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death. In exchange for conquering Uesugi Kagekatsu, Tokugawa Ieyasu promised to restore the territory confiscated by Hideyoshi. This is the famous ``hyakumangoku no ototsuki'' in historical novels and dramas.

However, while the ambitious Date Masamune fulfilled his obligation to Ieyasu by defeating the Uesugi forces at the Battle of Shiroishi Castle, he also supported Waga Tadachika and started the Iwasaki Uprising in the territory of Nanbu Toshinao, who supported Ieyasu. I set it.
In other words, they pretended to follow Tokugawa Ieyasu and tried to drive the Tokugawa forces out of the Tohoku region.
This blatant ambition greatly alarmed Ieyasu Tokugawa, and in the end, the 100 million koku endorsement was undone, and the only territory Ieyasu gave to Masamune as a prize for his deeds at the Battle of Sekigahara was Gamo District. As a result, the Date domain was limited to 620,000 koku.

However, Tokugawa Ieyasu highly valued Date Masamune's political skills and military power. For this reason, Date Masamune was kept in Edo for the longest period of time among the powerful foreign feudal lords who sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara, and was ordered to undertake tasks such as constructing the country.
While still in Edo, Date Masamune instructed his vassals to build Sendai Castle and dispatched the Keicho Mission to Europe with the aim of starting trade between Spain and the Sendai domain. In 1613, Hasekura Tsunenaga and others became the first Japanese to cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and travel to Rome. However, the following year, the shogunate issued a ban on Christianity and began suppressing Christian missionaries, so trade between the Sendai domain and Spain ended without even starting.

Masamune Date did not retire throughout his life, and as the lord of the domain, he worked on improving the castle town, including river improvement works on the Kitakami River, and he also participated in the summer and winter campaigns of Osaka, and was active as a military commander. Date Masamune died in 1636, and was succeeded by his second son, Date Tadamune.

Sendai domain until the middle of the Edo period

Date Tadamune, the second lord of the domain, was born in Osaka and married Hidetada Tokugawa's adopted daughter Furihime (whose maternal grandfather was Ieyasu Tokugawa), and set foot in Sendai for the first time since becoming lord of the domain.
Furthermore, Date Munetada had an older brother, Date Hidemune, but his mother was a concubine and he was an illegitimate child, so the older brother became the lord of the Uwajima domain in Iyo Province.
As soon as Tadamune Date became the lord of the domain, he set up an executive system for the domain's administration and made bold personnel changes, such as moving or retaining senior vassals. He also established new government positions, established laws, and laid the foundations for the politics of the Sendai domain.
In addition, a large-scale detection called the Kan'ei Detection was carried out, the Chigyo was reorganized, and a system called the ``buying rice system'' was created in which the domain purchased surplus rice and sold it in Edo. As a result, the Sendai domain was able to obtain a stable means of cash income, and farmers were able to use the money from selling their surplus rice to develop new fields. Munetada also built the Ninomaru of Sendai Castle, as well as numerous temples and shrines, including Zuiho-den and Zuiho-ji to enshrine his father, Date Masamune. Furthermore, the ``Sendai Festival'', which was held when the Toshogu shrine was completed as a final step, became the basis of the current Aoba Festival.

Although Tadamune built the foundation of the Sendai domain in this way, he was not blessed with a successor. He was succeeded by his sixth son, Date Tsunamune, but it is said that Tsunamune, who became the third lord of the domain, indulged in alcoholism and did not think twice about politics. This led to political interference from his uncle, Munekatsu Date, and conflicts among the vassals became serious. For this reason, he was deemed unfit to be the lord of the domain, and was forced into exile at the age of 21. (Date Tsunamune Retirement Incident)
Furthermore, Date Tsunamune later died in the Edo domain residence, living an elegant life and enjoying calligraphy and painting until he was over 70 years old.
Date Tsunamune's paintings are still in the collection of the Sendai City Museum.