Hasekura Tsunenaga

• Birth: 1571
• Death: 1622
• Other name: Rokuemon
• Distinction: Date retainer and foreign diplomat
• Japanese: 支倉常長 (Hasekura Tsunenaga)

Tsunenaga was appointed by Date Masamune to lead the Keichô Embassy, a religious & diplomatic mission to Europe, in 1613. He was baptized en route to Italy and was admitted into Rome, but by the time he returned to Japan in 1620, he found that Masamune had dramatically changed his policies on Christianity.

References

• Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005