Sanada Nobushige, also known as Yukimura, emerged as one of the most illustrious samurai of the Sengoku Period. Born as the second son of Sanada Masayuki and younger sibling to Sanada Nobuyuki, he was originally named Nobushige and acquired the moniker "Yukimura" only through later Edo period tales. Renowned as the "Crimson Demon of War" due to his blood-red banners and armor, he earned titles such as "Japan’s Greatest Warrior" and even the "Last Sengoku Hero" among his contemporaries.
As a youth, he was sent by his father as a hostage to the Uesugi clan, later returning to serve Toyotomi Hideyoshi directly. Nobushige married Aki-hime, the daughter of Otani Yoshitsugu, who was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Throughout his life, Nobushige displayed remarkable bravery and strategic prowess in various battles, notably defending Ueda Castle against multiple Tokugawa sieges. Despite being vastly outnumbered, he valiantly held off Tokugawa forces, earning admiration and respect.
Following the Battle of Sekigahara, where the Sanada family was divided between the Western and Tokugawa forces, Nobushige and his father were stripped of their domain and exiled to Mt. Koya. Despite this setback, Nobushige continued to resist the Tokugawa, participating in the Winter Siege and Summer Campaign of Osaka Castle. He constructed the formidable Sanada Maru, a crescent-shaped fortress, and led fierce defenses against overwhelming Tokugawa forces.
Tragically, during the Summer Siege of Osaka, Nobushige, exhausted from relentless battles, faced defeat. Despite his valiant efforts, he succumbed to his injuries under a pine tree in the grounds of the Yasui Shrine, allowing a Tokugawa samurai named Nishio Nizaemon to claim his head. Nobushige's death dealt a significant blow to the morale of the Osaka troops, marking the end of an era. Today, a statue commemorates his valiant spirit beneath the solemn shade of the shrine's pine tree.
See also
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
