18 Facts About Sanada Masayuki

Sanada Masayuki was a Japanese Sengoku period lord and daimyo.

Sanada Masayuki was the head of Sanada clan, a regional house of Shinano Province, which became a vassal of the Takeda clan of Kai Province.

Sanada Masayuki was born the third son of Sanada Yukitaka in 1547, but the exact date is unknown.

At that point, his eldest brother Sanada Masayuki Nobutsuna had already succeeded his father as the head of the Sanada Masayuki clan.

Sanada Masayuki managed to retain most of his domain, but had to abdicate Numata Castle to Takigawa Masushigue, Kazumasu's relative.

Subsequently, Sanada Masayuki led his army and received Numata Castle to the Uesugi clan.

In that occasion, Sanada Masayuki actually escorted back Kazumasu's remaining forces through Suwa, in Shinano.

Sanada Masayuki sided with the Uesugi initially, but a couple of weeks later he defected to Hojo's side.

However, he failed to do so as Sanada Masayuki resisted his attempt.

In 1583, Sanada Masayuki started the construction of Ueda Castle and the surrounding town.

Sanada Masayuki was left in northern Shinano to keep the Uesugi clan in check and took this opportunity to subjugate small, neighboring landlords and consolidate his power in the region.

In 1585, Masayuki moved their main bastion from Sanada-shi Yakata to Ueda Castle.

Sanada Masayuki however, resisted having to hand it over, having conquered it with great effort years before.

However, Sanada Masayuki was able to inflict 1,300 casualties on Tokugawa's side and won a decisive victory.

The reason of this allowance was because Sanada Masayuki did not even sent his family as hostages to Hideyoshi to symbolize his submission.

However, as Sanada Masayuki immediately ask mediation of Kagekatsu to offer his surrender to the Toyotomi clan, Hideyoshi recalled Ieyasu to abort his invasion.

Sanada Masayuki died of an illness in Kudoyama in 1611.

Nevertheless, it was exactly his drifting alliances that helped the Sanada Masayuki clan survive the onslaught of hostile clans, and, since the Edo period, he has been more extolled than vilified.