Date Muneshige

Aki no kami (common name) · Lord of Wakuya (22,000 koku)

Date Muneshige (1615–1671), known as Date Aki, was the lord of Wakuya Castle and head of the Wakuya branch of the Date, one of the principal vassal houses of the Sendai domain, with a holding of 22,000 koku. The son of Date Sadamune, he became heir in 1639 and took over the leadership of the house in 1651. His residence at Wakuya was the centre of his power for twenty years. He is best known for his role in the Date Affair: opposed to the domain's ruling faction, he brought a boundary dispute before the shogunate in 1670 and was mortally wounded by Harada Kai Munesuke in 1671 during a hearing in Edo. He was afterwards regarded as a loyal vassal, and he rests in a mausoleum at Wakuya, built in 1673 and designated a cultural property of Miyagi Prefecture.