Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japan ese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period . He was especially known as the leading general on the losing side of the Siege of Osaka . Yukimura was called " A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years " and " Crimson Demon of War " , and the famed veteran of the invasion of Korea , Shimazu Tadatsune , called him the . Early life . 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 . By 1582 , the Oda - Tokugawa forces had destroyed the Takeda clan . The Sanada initially surrendered to Oda Nobunaga , but , after the Incident at Honnōji , it became independent again , drifting between stronger daimyo such as the Uesugi clan , the Late Hōjō clan , and the Tokugawa clan . Eventually , the Sanada clan became a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi . In 1600 , before the Battle of Sekigahara , Tokugawa Ieyasu rallied various daimyo to attack Uesugi Kagekatsu . The Sanada clan complied as well , but when Ishida Mitsunari decided to challenge Ieyasu , Masayuki and Yukimura joined the western forces , parting ways with Masayuki ' s eldest son and Yukimura ' s brother , Nobuyuki ( 真田 信之 , originally 真田 信幸 ) , who joined the eastern forces . It has been said that at first Yukimura followed Ieyasu but , after Ieyasu tried to seize his territory he betrayed Ieyasu . The true motive of Masayuki and Yukimura ' s decision is disputed with many theories , but there are two main schools of thought : in one , Masayuki made the decision ( and Yukimura agreed ) ; he expressed the willingness to take a gamble , so that if he were to join the weak side and win the battle , the Sanada would gain much more power . The other theory is the opposite where they planned a safety net ; Masayuki , Yukimura , and Nobuyuki discussed the situation when Ieyasu asked them to state their allegiance clearly , and they decided to join separate sides , so that , regardless of the outcome of the battle , the Sanada clan would survive . The Sanada retreated and fortified Ueda Castle . When Tokugawa Hidetada marched a sizable army on the Nakasendō , the Sanada resisted and were able to fight Hidetada ' s 40 , 000 men with only 2 , 000 . However , as the castle did not fall in the short time that he expected , Hidetada gave up and joined the main Tokugawa army , too late , however to participate in the crucial Battle of Sekigahara . After the battle Masayuki ' s territory was seized and he and Yukimura were exiled to Mt . Koya in the Kii Peninsula . Ueda was given to Nobuyuki . Yukimura rose against the Tokugawa when the Winter Battle of Osaka Castle broke out in 1614 . Siege of Osaka Castle . The siege of Osaka Castle was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shougunate against the Toyotomi clan , and ending in that clan ’ s destruction . Divided into two stages ( Winter Campaign and Summer Campaign ) , lasting from 1614 to 1615 , the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate ’ s establishment . The end of the conflict is sometimes referred to as the Genna Armistice ( Genna Enbu ) , because the era name was changed from Keicho to Genna immediately following the siege . Winter siege of Osaka Castle . The siege began on November 19 , 1614 and lasted until January 22 , 1615 , when Ieyasu led three thousand men across the Kizu River , destroying the fort there . A week later , he attacked the village of Imafuku with 1 , 500 men against a defending force of 600 . With the aid of a squad of arquebus iers , the Tokugawa claimed victory once again . Several more small forts and villages were attacked before the siege on Osaka Castle itself began on December 4 , 1614 . Yukimura built a small fortress called Sanada - maru in the southwest corner of Osaka Castle . The Sanada - maru was an earthwork barbican defended by 7 , 000 men under Yukimura ' s command . From there , he defeated the Tokugawa forces ( approximately 30 , 000 men ) with groups of 6000 arquebusiers . The Shogun ' s forces were repeatedly repelled , and the Sanada troops launched a number of attacks against the siege lines , breaking through three times . Ieyasu then resorted to artillery , which included 17 imported European cannons and domestic wrought iron cannons , as well as sapper s employed to dig under the walls of the fortress . The fortress was impregnable ; the Tokugawa suffered many losses . Ieyasu gave up trying to destroy the castle during this battle , and sued for peace with Toyotomi Hideyori . He proposed a condition for the reconciliation , i . e . to destroy the outer moat of the castle . When his envoy entered the castle grounds , they destroyed not only the outer moat but the inner moat as well . Summer siege of Osaka Castle . In the next year April 1615 , Ieyasu received information that Toyotomi Hideyori was gathering forces to rebuild the castle moat . Toyotomi forces ( often referred to as the western army ) began to attack contingents of the Shogun ' s forces ( often referred to as the eastern army ) near Osaka . On April 29 , 1615 , a force led by Ban Danemon raided Wakayama Castle , a coastal fortress that belonged to Asano Nagakira , an ally of the Shogun . Asano ' s men went forth from the castle and drove off the invaders . Ieyasu gathered his vast armies , and attacked the castle again . Yukimura fought the army of Date Masamune on May 6 , 1615 . Yukimura ' s army was outnumbered and he was defeated by Masamune ' s army . The next day he and a few soldiers assaulted the camp of Ieyasu directly . He closed in on Ieyasu only to have his assault repelled . By early June , the Eastern army had arrived , before Hideyori managed to secure any land to use against them . On June 2 , 1615 , at the Battle of Domyoji , 2 , 600 men from the western army encountered 23 , 000 of the eastern army . Hideyori ' s commander at the castle , Gotō Matabei attempted to retreat into the fog , but the battle was lost and he was killed . After this , Tokugawa forces intercepted those of Sanada Yukimura at Honta - Ryo . Sanada tried to force a battle with Date Masamune , but Date ' s retainer Katakura Shigenaga retreated , as his troops were exhausted ; Sanada ' s forces followed suit . On June 3 , 1615 , at the Battle of Domyoji ( also known as the battle of the tombs ) Sanada Yukimura was in command of the Western army on the right side of Susukida Kanesuke and was engaged by Date Masamune in the area of Emperor Ojin ' s Tomb and the Konda Hachiman Shrine . Late into the fight Sanada Yukimura made the decision to begin a retreat towards Osaka Castle , as he had already lost a powerful commander earlier in the day . Tokugawa Tadateru , the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu , was given the order to pursue Sanada , but he refused . This action would later lead to his exile to Koyasan . After being allowed to return to the Eastern army , he would die later during another assault on Osaka Castle . Given the time he needed Sanada ' s forces were able to successfully retreat from the Eastern army . Battle of Tennoji - guchi . The Battle of Tennoji ( guchi ) was fought on June 3 , 1615 . This would be the last battle of the Siege of Osaka and the final battle for Sanada Yukimura . Greatly outnumbered by Tokugawa forces , Yukimura ' s forces were eventually defeated . According to " The Life of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu " by A . L . Sadler , in his intense fight against the wavering Echizen troops , Yukimura was badly wounded and exhausted . Soldiers from the Echizen army quickly went to Sanada . Too tired to fight back , Yukimura allowed the men to kill him , reportedly saying , " I am Sanada Nobushige , no doubt an adversary quite worthy of you , but I am exhausted and can fight no longer . Go on , take my head as your trophy " . A man by the name of Nishio Nizaemon chopped off Sanada ’ s head . His grave is now located in Osaka , marked by the Yasui Shrine located to the west of Shitennoji Temple . Legend and popular depiction . According to primary historical sources and personal letters , he was never referred to as Yukimura . That name surfaced in a military novel written during the Edo period and has since been popularized in modern plays , books , novels , and different media of entertainment . The historical documents use his historical name " Nobushige " , but his pen name " Yukimura " was never mentioned . One theory is that the name " Yukimura " is a portmanteau of Masa " yuki " ( his father ) and Date Tsuna " mura " . A legend says that Yukimura had ten heroes who took an active role at the battles of Osaka Castle . They were called the Sanada Ten Braves , a group of ninja , and consisted of the following members : In popular culture . He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest ( Pokémon + Nobunaga ' s Ambition in Japan ) , with his partner Pokémon being Charmeleon and Charizard . He is also in all of the games of Koei ' s Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi game series He is also a main character in the anime and . In the popular manga , Prince of Tennis , his name was used for two characters , Genchiro Sanada and Seichii Yukimura . Yukimura Sanada plays a strong and charming supporting role in anime version by Project Kyo of Samurai Deeper Kyo . In Girls und Panzer , one member of the Oarai History Club , and the gunner for their tank team , whose real name is Kiyomi Sugiyama , adopts " Saemonza " as her nickname and often makes references to the period ' s history .