Letter by Date Masamune
- Person
-
作者伊達政宗
- Date
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制作年 AD17
- Title
- ダテマサムネヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
A military commander active from the end of Momoyama Period to the early Edo Period, Lord Date Masamune (1567-1636) was born in Yonezawa, Dewa Province (today’s Yamagata Pref.), the first son of Date Terumune (1544-85). His childhood name was Bonten-Maru, which was changed to Masamune when he came of age in 1577. But after he lost sight in one eye, he was nicknamed “Singled-Eyed Dragon”. Masamune succeeded his father as head of the family at age 18. Thereafter, he enlarged the family sphere of influence in and around Yonezawa. In 1589, he defeated his old adversary Ashina Yoshihiro and moved into Aizu Kurokawa Castle, which was later called Aizu Wakamatsu Castle. In the following year, however, Toyotomi Hideyoshi confiscated Aizu, Iwase, and Asaka estates that belonged to Masamune, and the lord was forced to return to Yonezawa Castle. In 1591, he put down the riots that erupted in Kasai and Osaki, in northern Japan, and was given Iwadeyama Castle as a reward. During the Bunroku Campaign of 1592, in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent an invading army to the Korean Peninsula, Lord Date Masamune went to serve at the Nagoya war headquarters set up in Hizen (today’s Saga Pref.), from where he crossed the straight to invade Korea. After his return to Japan, he became entangled in a revolt plotted by Toyotomi Hidetsugu and was ordered to house arrest. He was soon pardoned and fought on the Tokugawa side during the Battle of Sekigahara and defeated General Uesugi Kagekatsu, a warlord in Aizu. Later, Masamune built a new castle in Sendai (1603) and consolidated his estates, thus laying the foundation of the great Date House of 620,000-goku (rice bales) in Sendai Province. He died at age 70 at the Date government mansions in Edo.Masamune was a bold, daring and formidable military general, but he also cultivated a taste for Japanese poetry, sado (way of tea), and Noh theatre and was instrumental in introducing to the remote northern regions the splendor of Momoyama culture. Not only that, he also had a progressive mind and a grand vision for the world beyond Japan, sending at one point envoy Hasekura Tsunenaga to Rome to seek an audience with the pope.This is a letter of invitation to a tea party addressed to Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586-1641), the third son of Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563-1646). As it is signed “Lord Matsudaira of Mutsu”, it must have been written after 1608, when Date Masamune was appointed ruler of Mutsu and allowed to adopt the Matsudaira surname.According to historical records, the Tokugawa Shogunate granted Masamune leave from duty on April 2, 1620, and he took the opportunity to return home. In December of the same year, Tadatoshi became the head of his family/clan and moved into Kokura Castle (today’s Fukuoka Pref.). These circumstances suggest that until March of that year, both warlords had been stationed in Edo (today’s Tokyo), the seat of the Tokugawa government, and had had free time to enjoy tea parties and letter exchanging, as shown here. Masamune’s signature indicates that this letter was likely written between 1615 and 1620.
依御報御相客可申遣候かしく只今者御出外実ともに辱候／＼今少御残多候然者来廿五日之朝御茶申度候若御隙指合候者廿四日晩廿五日晩にても申申入度候恐惶謹言三月十九日政宗（花押）松陸奥守細内記様 政宗人々御中
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- Letter by Date Masamune
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