真田 幸村 さなだ ゆきむら Sanada Yukimura 1567 - 1615 Appearances: Sengoku Musou (1,2), Sengoku BASARA (1,2) Yukimura was actually known as 真田信繁 Sanada Nobushige. His father, 真田昌幸 Sanada Masayuki gave him that name in honour to Takeda Shingen's famous brother 武田信繁 Takeda Nobushige who died in the 4th battle of Kawanakajima. His young name was 源次郎 Genjirou. In 1585, the Sanada made an alliance with the Uesugi and Tokugawa. Masayuki sent Yukimura as a hostage to the Uesugi and Yukimura's brother Nobuyuki to the Tokugawa. When the Sekigahara campaign started, the Sanada would initially support the Tokugawa, however Masayuki changed his mind and chose to support the Toyotomi along with Yukimura, while Nobuyuki was left to support the Tokugawa. This decision is seen as pragmatism on the part of the Sanada, whether the East or the West won the battle, the Sanada would still survive. During the campaign, a Tokugawa army led by Ieyasu's son 秀忠 Hidetada decided to lay siege on Ueda Castle, the castle owned by Masayuki & Yukimura. The two managed to resist the army. This is said to be one of the greatest sieges in Japanese history. However in the end, the Eastern army won the actual Sekigahara battle. Afterwards, Masayuki and Yukimura were to be given death sentence, but thanks to Nobuyuki, the sentence was averted and the two would be instead banished to 九度山 Kuudoyama in 紀伊 Kii province. Masayuki died at that place in 1611. He got the title of 日本一の兵 Hinomoto/Nippon Ichi no Tsuwamono (Japan's Number One Soldier) for his heroic valour in the Siege of Osaka. During the winter siege, Yukimura constructed the 真田丸 Sanadamaru and managed to repel the Tokugawa army. At the summer siege, he charged through the Tokugawa main camp, however, as he was getting close to Ieyasu, he was killed by a certain samurai named Nishio Nizaemon before he got close enough to Ieyasu to kill him. Yukimura was married to the daughter of 大谷吉継 Ootani Yoshitsugu, a Toyotomi retainer. He had a son, 真田大助幸昌 Sanada Daisuke Yukimasa, who participated in the Siege of Osaka and died there as well. However, the Sanada didn't perish as Nobuyuki survived and continued living all the way to Edo period.