Dateis acityinIburi Subprefecture,Hokkaido,Japan. Date was established around 1869 and became a city on April 1, 1972.
Remains of settlements from theJōmon periodhave been found in the Date area. TheAinu, the native inhabitants of Hokkaido, also maintained a settlement at another location nearby until the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ainu were mostly assimilated into Japanese society.
The name of the area comes from theDate clan, who rose to power in the 12th century inFukushima, on themainland. Before theEdo period, their home castle was theYanagawacastle inDate District, Fukushima. Later, it became theSendaicastle. The Date clan ruled the whole ofMiyagi Prefectureas well as the southern part ofIwate Prefecture, and was one of the most influentialdaimyōs.
