[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

The next year, during the Summer Siege of Osaka, Yukimura decided not to fight defensively but to attack the Tokugawa forces head-on. First he defeated 12,000 mounted led by Date Masamune (who is considered to be one of two best strategists in the creative and unique use of an army of cavalry and footmen totalling 3,000.

After the army of Date Masamune was defeated, the elite Echizen armies behind him, approximately 20,000 - 30,000 in number, dared not move forward to fight Yukimura. Yukimura's army shouted "one million boys in the eastern army, not one real man!" before returning to Osaka castle.

The next day, Yukimura attacked Tokugawa Ieyasu's army directly. His charges were so ferocious that he purportedly reached Tokugawa Ieyasu's main camp several times.

Though not many sources can verify the actual facts, during the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, Yukimura led several assaults against the Tokugawa main camp using the tactic of 8 kagemushas (decoys) to confuse the enemies. The strength and determination of these attacks was said to have been caused by his personal vendetta against the Tokugawa family.

He reached the main camp thrice, close enough that Ieyasu could be seen from only metres away from their charge, but Yukimura never managed to kill him. After the Osaka castle was captured by the Tokugawa Bakufu, Tokugawa himself was said to have fear of Yukimura's name till his dying days. After this, Yukimura was considered the greatest warrior of the last days of the Sengoku Jidai period.




Statue of Sanada


Ancient Drawing of him.