diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@
 
     rootfm = ui.formatter('annotate', opts)
     if ui.quiet:
-        datefunc = util.shortdate
+        datefunc = dateutil.shortdate
     else:
         datefunc = dateutil.datestr
     if ctx.rev() is None:
diff --git a/mercurial/templatefilters.py b/mercurial/templatefilters.py
--- a/mercurial/templatefilters.py
+++ b/mercurial/templatefilters.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
     else:
         delta = max(1, int(now - then))
         if delta > agescales[0][1] * 2:
-            return util.shortdate(date)
+            return dateutil.shortdate(date)
 
     for t, s, a in agescales:
         n = delta // s
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@
 @templatefilter('shortdate')
 def shortdate(text):
     """Date. Returns a date like "2006-09-18"."""
-    return util.shortdate(text)
+    return dateutil.shortdate(text)
 
 @templatefilter('slashpath')
 def slashpath(path):
diff --git a/mercurial/util.py b/mercurial/util.py
--- a/mercurial/util.py
+++ b/mercurial/util.py
@@ -1906,10 +1906,6 @@
             limit -= len(s)
         yield s
 
-def shortdate(date=None):
-    """turn (timestamp, tzoff) tuple into iso 8631 date."""
-    return dateutil.datestr(date, format='%Y-%m-%d')
-
 def parsetimezone(s):
     """find a trailing timezone, if any, in string, and return a
        (offset, remainder) pair"""
@@ -3875,3 +3871,9 @@
     nouideprecwarn(msg, "4.6")
     return dateutil.datestr(*args, **kwargs)
 
+def shortdate(*args, **kwargs):
+    msg = ("'util.shortdate' is deprecated, "
+           "use 'utils.dateutil.shortdate'")
+    nouideprecwarn(msg, "4.6")
+    return dateutil.shortdate(*args, **kwargs)
+
diff --git a/mercurial/utils/dateutil.py b/mercurial/utils/dateutil.py
--- a/mercurial/utils/dateutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/utils/dateutil.py
@@ -106,3 +106,8 @@
     t = datetime.datetime(1970, 1, 1) + datetime.timedelta(seconds=d)
     s = encoding.strtolocal(t.strftime(encoding.strfromlocal(format)))
     return s
+
+def shortdate(date=None):
+    """turn (timestamp, tzoff) tuple into iso 8631 date."""
+    return datestr(date, format='%Y-%m-%d')
+