Yukimura Sanada

Yukimura Sanada (真田幸村, Sanada Yukimura , 1567 - May 7th 1615) was a Japanese Samurai and strategist, second wire of a Daimyo of the time Sengoku, Masayuki Sanada.

Names and nicknames

In a more complete way, its name was Sanada Saemon-No-Suke Yukimura (真田左衛門佐幸村). Its name with the birth was Nobushige Sanada (真田信繁, Sanada Nobushige ), thus named according to Nobushige Takeda, the youngest brother of Shingen Takeda and a warrior respected within the Clan Takeda.

Yukimura Sanada was qualified “hero as it appears only once every hundred years”, and received of them nicknames such as “the red demon of the war”. Tadatsune Shimazu, one of the principal characters of the Guerre Imjin described it as “first warrior of Japan”.

Family

Yukimura Sanada was the second wire of Masayuki Sanada, his/her older brother being Nobuyuki Sanada. He was married in Akihime (Chikurinin) adopted girl of Yoshitsugu Otani. They have them two wire: Daisuke (Yukimasa) and Daihachi (Morinobu), like several girls.

Biography

Youth

In 1575, with the Battle of Nagashino, the two older brothers of Masayuki Sanada lose the life. Masayuki, beforehand vassal Shingen and Katsuyori Takeda, inherits the Clan Sanada and leaves for the Château Ueda. Yukimura follows it, also taking the name of Sanada.

In 1582, combined forces of alliance Oda - Tokugawa comes to end from the Takeda clan. Initially, Sanada go to Nobunaga Oda, but following the Incident with the temple Honnō-ji, Sanada become again independent, drifting between powerful the daimyos of the Clan Uesugi, the Clan Go-Hōjō and Tokugawa. Finally, the Sanada clan becomes vassal of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and Yukimura serves it in Japan and in Korea starting from 1587 Toyotomi Saemon-No-suke Nobushige (豊臣左衛門佐信繁).

Battle of Sekigahara

In 1600, Ieyasu Tokugawa rejoins with him several clans to attack Kagekatsu Uesugi. The clan Sanada obtempère at the beginning, but losque Mitsunari Ishida defies Tokugawa, Masayuki and Yukimura unites the forces of the West (those of Toyotomi), separating from Nobuyuki which joined the forces of the East (those of Tokugawa).

The true reason for the decision of Masayuki is the subject of many theories, but it seems to arise two plausible assumptions. In one, Masayuki makes the decision, with the agreement of Yukimura, to play the whole for the whole in such way that if he united the weaker forces of Ishida and left there victorious, the Sanada clan would have to gain much in power and notoriety.

The other theory, contrary to the first since she plays the chart of safety, wants that Masayuki, Yukimura and Nobuyuki discussed the situation at the time when Ieyasu their request to define their allegiance clearly. Thus, Masayuki, with its sons, would by mutual agreement have decided to place each one of them in different camps so that, it does not matter the resulting one from the battle, the Sanada clan can survive.

Sanada withdraw and strengthen their castle of Ueda. When Hidetada Tokugawa walk with a considerable army on the Nakasendō, Sanada resist and manage to push back the 40.000 men of Sanada with only 2000 men. However, as it takes much more time than designed to take the castle, Hidetada loses the direction of the priorities and does not show itself on the battle fields of Sekigahara where the principal forces of Tokugawa then await the crucial arrival of its army, an error which puts the Tokugawa clan in danger.

Because of this incident, Ieyasu Tokugawa wants to make exterminate the Sanada clan, but because of the contribution of Nobuyuki to its own cause, they are saved and simply exiled with Kudoyama in the Province of Kii, where Masayuki dies.

Sit of Osaka

Twelve years later, whereas the relations between the Toyotomi clan and the Shogunat Tokugawa with are tended more, the Toyotomi clan starts to recruit Ronin S in preparation of a new war. Yukimura escapes from Kudoyama and is presented to the Château of Ōsaka in order to offer its support to it.

During the program of winter of the Head office of Ōsaka, Yukimura makes build fortifications of the southern part of the castle, at its weakest point. From this place, it demolishes the forces of Tokugawa (approximately 30.000 men) with a group of 6000 Arquebusier S. However, exceeded of number by the forces of Tokugawa, the men of Yukimura are finally overcome. According to A.L. Sadler, its fight intense against the hesitant troops of the army of Echizen leaves seriously wounded Yukimura and very exhausted. The soldiers of Echizen arrived quickly at Yukimura. Too much exhausted to defend oneself, Yukimura lets them kill it in their saying “Go ahead, take my head as a trophy! ”. Yukimura Sanada dies in a honourable way, leaving behind him a legend. Its tomb is now with Ōsaka.

Popular culture

The character of Yukimura remained celebrates, and it appears with several in the Japanese literature:

the novelist Yasushi Inoue devoted a novel to him.
It also appears in the manga Samurai deeper Kyo (Voir the page devoted to its character)
It also appears in the novel of Eiji Yoshikawa the perfect light, novel biographical of Miyamoto Musashi, then taken refuge and sought by Tokugawa.
It also appears in the plays Samurai Warriors 1 and 2 .

Sources

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