Sanada Yukimura

Sanada Yukimura (真田 幸村 Sanada Yukimura, 1570? or 67? to May 7, 1615) was a Japanese warrior.

Military career

Sanada Yukimura fought against the Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara and again at the Siege of Osaka Castle. Yukimura, his father Masayuki, and their small army fought bravely against Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara, for which they gained fame and honor for defeating a much larger foe.

At that time, Yukimura parted ways with his older brother Noboyuki , and set off with his father and the western army to hold back Hidetada (son of shogun Ieyasu) at Ueda Castle . Upon the defeat of the western army, he fled to Kudoyama and waited 14 years before accepting Toyotomi Hideyori’s invitation to Osaka Castle. During the wintertime battle at Osaka, he constructed Sanada Castle , demonstrating his resourcefulness and bravery. He rejected an offer from Ieyasu to govern the province of Shinano, opting instead to fight against him on the battlefield until the end. At the summertime battle of Chausuyama , he broke through the enemy army and reached Tokugawa’s flag three times, instilling fear in Tokugawa until his dying day.

Samurai Warriors computer game

In 2003, the Japanese company Koei produced a computer game for PlayStation 2 in which Yukimura Sanada was one of the main protagonists. The game's Japanese title is Sengoku Musou, while the title for the Western release is Samurai Warriors. The game is a follow-up to a popular series called Sangoku Musou (Dynasty Warriors).

The main theme of the game revolves around the period known as Sengoku Jidai (the Warring States Period). The name is derived from the Chinese equivalent of the Warring States Period - Zhan Guo Shi Dai ( in Chinese).

A legend says that Yukimura had ten heroic braves who took active part in the battles at Osaka Castle. They were called the Sanada Ju-Yushi and consisted of:

Sarutobi Sasuke

Kirigakure Saizo

Miyoshi Sekai

Miyoshi Isa

Anayama Kosuke

Unno Rokuro

Kakei Juzo

Nezu Jinpachi

Mochizuki Rokuro

Yuri Kamanosuke