Date Tsunamura

Date Tsunamura (伊達 綱村) was a daimyo (feudal lord) in mid-17th century Tokugawa Japan whose life was at the center of the Date Sōdō or "Date Disturbance", a very famous noble conflict of the period.

Tsunamura, originally called by his childhood name of Kamechiyo, became daimyo in 1660 at the age of one, under the guardianship of his uncles Munekatsu and Muneyoshi. His grandfather (Date Tadamune) had died two years earlier, and his father Tsunamune was deposed as lord by his uncles' political manipulations.

For ten years, the commoners, peasants and vassals of the Date complained against his uncles' misgovernment and a number of violent uprisings erupted. In 1671, events came to a head as Aki Muneshige, a relative of the Date, made a formal complaint to the capital. After a series of investigations, and the scandalous murder of Aki Muneshige, Tsunamura's rule was confirmed, and his uncles punished.