From the East some man, a titled figure of great importance (5)
I believe the answer is:
titan
'figure of great importance' is the definition.
(titan can mean an important person)
'from the east some man a titled' is the wordplay.
'from the east' says the letters should be written in reverse (on a map from right to left).
'some' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (some of the parts of the word are used).
'natit' is hidden in the letters of 'man a titled'.
'natit' in reverse letter order is 'TITAN'.
(Other definitions for titan that I've seen before include "Giant -- rocket" , "Atlas, say" , "Hyperion, for example" , "heavyweight?" , "Gigantic Greek god" .)