Date clan
The name of the area comes from the Date clan, who rose to power in the 12th century in Fukushima, on the mainland. Before the Edo period, their home castle was the Yanagawa castle in Date District, Fukushima. Later, it became the Sendai castle. The Date clan ruled the whole of Miyagi Prefecture as well as the southern part of Iwate Prefecture, and was one of the most influential "daimyōs".