was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

of the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

. He was the son of ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

Sanada Masayuki was a Japanese Sengoku period lord and ''daimyō''. He was the head of Sanada clan, a regional house of Shinano Province, which became a vassal of the Takeda clan of Kai Province. Along with his father and brothers, Masayuki served the Taked ...

and the older brother of

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

Early life

He was the first son of

and his wife, Kansho-in. His younger brother was

. He was married to

Komatsuhime (1573 – March 27, 1620) was a female warrior (''onna-musha'') during the Azuchi-Momoyama period and early Edo period. Born the daughter of Honda Tadakatsu, she was adopted by lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, before marrying Sanada Nobuyuki. She is d ...

(Inahime),

Honda Tadakatsu , also called Honda Heihachirō (本多平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general, and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) a ...

's daughter and adopted daughter of

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

. Two other wives of Nobuyuki were his first wife and cousin Seiin-in, who lost her status to Komatsuhime and Ukyo (a daughter of Tamagawa Hidemasa). At an early age, Nobuyuki's father served under the ''

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

and his son

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (military lord) of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu, ''daimyō'' of Hojo clan. Early life H ...

and sent Nobuyuki as a hostage to prove the Sanada clan's loyalty to the

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

. After the Takeda clan was destroyed by Oda and Tokugawa army, Nobuyuki fled to

Ueda Castle is a Japanese castle located in Ueda, northern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Ueda Castle was home to a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan, ''daimyō'' of Ueda Domain, but the castle is better known for its association w ...

, the stronghold of the Sanada Clan and where his family were. In 1585,

attacked

; Nobuyuki fought in Battle of Kami river alongside his father and was victorious. Later, as Masayuki served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobuyuki was sent to Tokugawa to be a retainer in order to preserve the clan if anything wrong happened to the Toyotomi clan.

Battle of Sekigahara

During the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, he fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Eastern Army), against whom Masayuki and his brother, Yukimura were fighting. After the Western Army was defeated by Ieyasu, Nobuyuki used this position to save his father's and brother's lives. After the battle, Masayuki's territory was seized, Masayuki and Yukimura were exiled to Kudoyama in Mt. Koya in the

Kii Province , or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...

. Ueda was given to Nobuyuki.

Siege of Osaka

In 1614, the relationship between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi started heating up again. Ieyasu ordered an army of 10,000 to surround

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...

, base of Toyotomi clan. Yukimura escaped from Kudoyama and served Toyotomi to take the fight against the Tokugawa. Accepting the truth, Nobuyuki couldn't spare

again and his brother was killed in battle. After the

Siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

, Tokugawa generally had a high regard of Nobuyuki. In 1622, he became the first lord of the

Matsushiro Domain file:松代城(海津城) Matsushiro castle 2011.1.1 - panoramio (2).jpg, 300px, Matsushiro Castle file:Ryukoji05.JPG, Part of the Matsushiro domain's Edo estate, relocated to Kamakura and used as a hall at Ryuko-ji Temple was a Han (Japan), feud ...

and lived to 92 years of age.

Honours

* Junior Fifth Rank

External links

Matsushiro, a Castle Town of the Sanada Family
* Photo of the Matsushiro castle *http://sanadasandai.gozaru.jp/sandai/nobuyuki/nobuyuki-2.htm (Information about Nobuyuki's children) , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanada, Nobuyuki People of the Edo period 1566 births 1658 deaths Daimyo Sanada clan

Early life

Battle of Sekigahara

Siege of Osaka

Honours

See also

External links