Sanada Yukimura

Sanada Yukimura
An Edo period painting of Sanada Yukimura.
Born	1567
Died	June 3, 1615 (age 47-48)
Other names	Sanada Nobushige
Parent(s)	Sanada Masayuki
Relatives	Sanada Nobuyuki (Brother)

Sanada Yukimura (真田 幸村^?, 1567 – June 3, 1615), actual name: Sanada Nobushige (真田 信繁^?), 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 Demon of War" and "The Last Sengoku Hero". The famed veteran of the invasion of Korea, Shimazu Tadatsune, called him the "Number one warrior in Japan" (日本一の兵^?).

He was the second son of Sanada Masayuki (1544–1611). His elder brother was Sanada Nobuyuki. He was married to Akihime (Chikurin'in), a foster-daughter of Ōtani Yoshitsugu. They had two sons, Daisuke (Yukimasa) and Daihachi (Morinobu).

In 1575, the Battle of Nagashino claimed the lives of two of Sanada Masayuki's elder brothers. Masayuki, previously serving Takeda Shingen and Takeda Katsuyori as a retainer, inherited the Sanada clan and left for Ueda Castle. Yukimura also went, taking the Sanada name as well.