Date Masamune

Date Masamune (September 5, 1567 – June 27, 1636), one of the most famous samurai warriors in history, was a Japanese regional ruler from the Azuchi-Momoyama period through the early Edo period. He founded the modern-day city of Sendai as the heir to a long line of powerful daimyō in the Tōhoku region. Masamune was a brilliant tactician who was made even more famous by his missing eye, as he was known as the "One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshu."

Date Masamune was a feared fighter of his time, known for his affinity for brutality and lack of mercy. He had to work especially hard to be noticed as a boxer because he had lost sight in his right eye as a child due to smallpox. After a sequence of defeats in his early days, he gradually established himself as one of the most effective warriors of the day. When his father was kidnapped by his clan's enemies, Masamune responded by slaughtering all of them, killing his father in the process. As the leader of the Date clan, he later served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Masamune died at the age of 68 due to esophageal cancer and peritonitis in 1636. He was returned to Sendai in the same daimyo procession as before. Date Tadamune, the bakufu's eldest son, was given permission to inherit the Date clan territory.

Japanese name: 伊達政宗

Born: September 5, 1567, in Yonezawa, Yamagata
Died: June 27, 1636, in Sendai, Japan

Nickname: Dokuganryū

Notable Battles: Battle of Hitotoribashi, Battle of Kōriyama, Siege of Kurokawa