TV Special
Description
Sanada Saemonnosuke Nobushige, also known as Sanada Genjirou or Yukimura, belonged to the Sanada clan during Japan's Warring States period. Born in 1567 as the second son of Sanada Masayuki, he had an elder brother, Sanada Nobuyuki. After his uncles died in 1575, he moved to Ueda Castle with his father and formally adopted the Sanada name. His early life saw shifting allegiances between powerful clans like the Takeda, Oda, Uesugi, Later Hōjō, and Tokugawa, eventually becoming a vassal under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
In 1600, prior to the Battle of Sekigahara, Nobushige and his father aligned with Ishida Mitsunari's Western forces against Tokugawa Ieyasu. This put him at odds with his brother Nobuyuki, who joined the Eastern forces. Nobushige defended Ueda Castle against Tokugawa Hidetada's 40,000-strong army with only 2,000 troops. His resistance delayed Hidetada's arrival at Sekigahara, impacting the broader conflict. Following the Tokugawa victory, Nobushige and Masayuki faced exile to Mount Kōya, while Ueda Castle was granted to Nobuyuki.
During the 1614 Winter Siege of Osaka, Nobushige commanded 7,000 troops defending the strategic earthwork barbican Sanada-maru. He repelled repeated assaults by roughly 30,000 Tokugawa soldiers using coordinated arquebusier tactics. Though the fortress proved impregnable, Tokugawa Ieyasu secured a truce by negotiating the destruction of Osaka Castle's moats. The conflict resumed in 1615 during the Summer Siege. Nobushige led the Osaka Army's right wing at the Battle of Dōmyōji on June 3, engaging Date Masamune's forces before retreating toward Osaka Castle.
At the subsequent Battle of Tennōji, Nobushige spearheaded a desperate offensive against the Tokugawa's advancing formations. His troops charged from Chausuyama, targeting the Tokugawa left flank under Matsudaira Tadanao. As Tokugawa lines faltered, Nobushige dispatched his son, Sanada Daisuke, to urge Toyotomi Hideyori to launch a counterattack from the castle. Hideyori's delay proved fatal. Exhausted from combat, Nobushige collapsed and was later killed during a confrontation.
His legacy includes marriages to multiple women, including Chikurin-in (daughter of Ōtani Yoshitsugu and adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi), and fathering three sons: Yukimasa, Morinobu, and Yukichika.
In 1600, prior to the Battle of Sekigahara, Nobushige and his father aligned with Ishida Mitsunari's Western forces against Tokugawa Ieyasu. This put him at odds with his brother Nobuyuki, who joined the Eastern forces. Nobushige defended Ueda Castle against Tokugawa Hidetada's 40,000-strong army with only 2,000 troops. His resistance delayed Hidetada's arrival at Sekigahara, impacting the broader conflict. Following the Tokugawa victory, Nobushige and Masayuki faced exile to Mount Kōya, while Ueda Castle was granted to Nobuyuki.
During the 1614 Winter Siege of Osaka, Nobushige commanded 7,000 troops defending the strategic earthwork barbican Sanada-maru. He repelled repeated assaults by roughly 30,000 Tokugawa soldiers using coordinated arquebusier tactics. Though the fortress proved impregnable, Tokugawa Ieyasu secured a truce by negotiating the destruction of Osaka Castle's moats. The conflict resumed in 1615 during the Summer Siege. Nobushige led the Osaka Army's right wing at the Battle of Dōmyōji on June 3, engaging Date Masamune's forces before retreating toward Osaka Castle.
At the subsequent Battle of Tennōji, Nobushige spearheaded a desperate offensive against the Tokugawa's advancing formations. His troops charged from Chausuyama, targeting the Tokugawa left flank under Matsudaira Tadanao. As Tokugawa lines faltered, Nobushige dispatched his son, Sanada Daisuke, to urge Toyotomi Hideyori to launch a counterattack from the castle. Hideyori's delay proved fatal. Exhausted from combat, Nobushige collapsed and was later killed during a confrontation.
His legacy includes marriages to multiple women, including Chikurin-in (daughter of Ōtani Yoshitsugu and adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi), and fathering three sons: Yukimasa, Morinobu, and Yukichika.