And so Yukimura's last stand has commenced. I must say, as much as I have a weird feeling about how it's essentially over, I can only imagine what it was like for every samurai back then to just suddenly not have any reason to fight anymore in that moment.
Much better: the arrival of the Perry's Black Ships first, then the events that led to the Boshin War. Perry: Knock! Knock! Tokugawa: Who's there? Perry: Black Ships... Tokugawa: Black Ships who...? Perry: Open up your country and trade with us OR DIE!!!
Hard to believe this series is coming to an end, like all other good things. Thank you, Shogunate, for producing such an amazing documentary. It feels like a personal love letter to all samurai fans, as well as to all the fallen warriors of this warring states period. I look forward to what comes next, glad that I can be able to look back at this series with nothing but nostalgia and joy.
This has been one heck of a ride. From the days of fighting the emishi to the last stand at Osaka, it's been amazing to see the history of the samurai. Thanks for the work so far~
Man I remembered when I started watching this series like it was yesterday and to see it near it’s conclusion makes me appreciate the journey it took to get here…
It would be really cool, now that the series of Sengoku Jidai is coming to a close, if you did a compilation video of minor “in defense of” scenarios throughout the period. Such as brief defenses of Kikawa Hiroei, Hideyoshi’s Imjin War, Yoro Do No, and Shimazu Yoshihiro at Sekigahara to name a few.
The only time when I wake up, and see a new upload from the shogunate is like an honor that only the samurai and shinobi in the past will receive from the shogun. And only them will understand and other Japanese history nerds will appreciate the hard work you put in. Thank you my shogunate.
@@TheShogunate Can this truly be the end? Say you have plans for the future! Maybe the Edo period? Tokugawa's reforms turning the Samurai into a bureaucratic class would be a good segue.
Waited this for a long time, thank you so much for your time and effort in this video. Yukimura really fought valiantly in his last stand, really a goosebumps for sure if Ieyasu really slain by Yukimura.
OH I have been waiting for this. It seems the time to say goodbye to the Sengoku series is approaching, truly a fitting end I never knew how many engagements the summer siege had. One last climatic war to end the Sengoku period. Thank you for all your hard work, this truly is one of the best history contents on youtube.
I have been on this series since episode 13, we have come a long way and I am proud and happy to see this final conclusion to the singoku period. Thank you very much for what you do
Thank you for actually talking about the appalling behaviour of the tokugawa forces after the battle. So often, the suffering of commoners, women, children and other non combatants are ignored by history but their deaths are no less tragic than those of legends like Yukimura
I was late in discovering this channel, but I'd taken the time to watch every single video you have posted. Your videos are not only interesting and informative, the narration makes one feel as though he is living through the events. I am very grateful that you decided to do this. I look forward to your videos discussing the Edo period. I hope they are as interesting as the Sengoku ones.
Techincally, slaying Ieyasu wont make much difference in this war, since the he already retired as Shogun and Hidetada was the formal Shogun So I think the 90% of Japanese loyalty wont be changing instantly since the Tokugawa regime had their grip carved too deep after Sekigahara... Ieyasu not only Ensure His line of successions unintetrupted, but he also assigned his loyalists to occupt important posts
By loosing the winter siege, the Toyotomi loyalists had already lost. The problem for me is that, imo, the Tokugawa were amongst the worst options for a long-term Shogunate...the ideal one for me were the Oda. But with the closed-minded ideas of the Tokugawa winning out, the path for isolation seems inevitable for me. Maybe someone like Oda Nobunaga could've kept the country united but still looking out wards, and that would've been key to keep Japan somewhat modernized and avoid the collapse of Shogunate authority in the Meiji restoration...which could've prevented the imperialistic nature of Japan in the 1900s, either because they would already have an Empire and therefore a bit more respect from the West, or because they would've failed so spectacularly in that regard that they would've tried to avoid conflict all together
Hideyori married the grand-daughter of Ieyashu not his daughter thus it would make him a great-grandson but furthermore the child was the son of a concumbine and not of Lady Sen
I knew this day would come. I was introduced to Samurai Culture and History through the "Last Samurai" and "Samurai Warriors" Series before conducting my own research and interactions. I supported the Takeda, their Toyotomi allies, and the Sanada. I found it difficult coming back to this chapter of Sengoku History, but It needed to be addressed and I thank the Shogunate (not you Ieyasu) for covering it.
well done i have to say out of all the battles in the Sengoku period Osaka has always been my favourite ashame Mōri Katsunaga was not mentioned in the video as he tends to get overlooked by Yukimura but was there for the Battle of Tennoji managing to slay Tokugawa general Honda Tadatomo need to watch the rest of your videos at some point
A very good video for a great historical event n_n I think that Sengoku Jidai spirit somehow died with Yukimura. Well, Japan was at peace at last, but I just can't stand the Tokugawa. I know that theory that Yukimura indeed killed Ieyasu, but the Tokugawa inmediately replaced the dead Ieyasu with a kagemusha, thus making appear that Ieyasu was still alive. This theory is exarcebated by the fact Ieyasu died a year later, and that it's said Ieyasu's personality changed quite a bit. With a kagemusha of Ieyasu, and being already exhausted for the attack, Yukimura then retreated to Yasui Shrine, where he perished. There are even more somewhat exxagerated theories about Yukimura surviving along with Hideyori, and both fleeing to Kagoshima, where either both leave in peace the remain of their lives, or tried to plot once again against the Tokugawa, but I think this one is much less probable than the killing-Ieyasu-but-being-replaced-with-a-kagemusha one. About the Battle of Domyoji, it is said that because of this battle, Date Masamune found a great respect for Yukimura, and proposed to take care of his children and even subordinates if Yukimura died. Because of him and the Katakura clan, Sanada Yukimura's lineage survived through Edo period, and today the 13th descendant, Sanada Tooru is alive nowadays. I had the honor of meeting him in 2017, and he showed me some antiques from Sanada clan, including a black armor Yukimura himself wore. For real, Sanada Masayuki's plan of making Nobuyuki go with the Tokugawa and him and Yukimura go with the Toyotomi was a success even Masayuki wouldn't have thought. And the last moments of Yukimura were even amazingly epic. When he retreated to Yasui Shrine, some Tokugawa soldiers saw him, and then Yukimura replied "I am Sanada (Yukimura) Nobushige, a great warrior worthy of being anyone of you your opponent, and I could give you THE battle of your lives. But as you can see, I'm too exhausted and injured to fight any longer. So, come for my head if you want and make it your trophy if you believe you can!". That's truly a way to be gone. Some Tokugawa soldier took her head, but it's possible Yukimura could have died just after saying that, just before anyone could lay a finger on him. I would like to think in the end no one had actually defeated him in a duel. Another thing I had the honor to do, was going to Yasui Shrine in two ocassions. It's a little sintoist temple west to the buddhist complex of Shitennouji. A little, humble and pacific place. There is a little forest just behind the shrine, and you can watch the sunset perfectly given that Yasui Shrine is above a hill. Yukimura could have seeing the sunset a last time from there, probably at peace knowing he gave his all. The tomb of Yukimura is incredibly simple and rustic, nothing too fancy. In contrast, Oda Nobunaga's tomb in Honnouji is somewhat big and elegant. But something you can see in Yukimura's that you don't see in Nobunaga's is that people leave dozens of tea bottles with Sanada related motives, as a form of offering and paying respect to the Greatest Warrior of Japan. And then, you remember he's celebrated not only in Osaka, but also in Ueda and Kudoyama. You know, in a world where often victors write the history, it's really a feat being on the opposing side and still having earned folkloric hero status and respect from even your enemies. A Shimazu warlord was the one who named him "Japan's Number One Warrior" despite being with the Tokugawa, Date Masamune would have liked to duel him again personally, and even IEYASU said he would like to drink sake with him in the afterlife. You just can't hate Sanada Yukimura. Oh, I would like to add something: I used the last moments of Yukimura and went along with the killed-Ieyasu-brought-kagemusha theory as the opening chapter for my historical fiction and fantasy novel about a historical hero of my own country that lived 200 year later after Yukimura. I just had fun writing that chapter 0 n_n My novel is in Spanish though, since it's my native language.
so yukimura's last strategy was this (battle of tennoji) : he will launch a detachment to perform surprise flank attack on leyasu's army, so he can create enough chaos to launch final attack combined with hideyori's troops who will sally forth from osaka castle. But the strategy was failed, because the ambush unit was discovered before they manage to get into their position. one of the reason of the failure is that because most of the osaka's army are ronins, who thirst for glory and spoils, and some of them attack before Yukimura's supposed signal, so the strategy was failed. But, as Yukimura overseeing the battle from Chausuyama mountain, He discovered that Tokugawa's still arranging their massive formation. Yukimura quickly decide to charge at the enemy with all his remaining forces. at the same time, Yukimura send his son to Osaka's castle to inform Hideyori to join the charge, but Hideyori's attendants hold him off. by the time Hideyori make up his mind and decided to sally forth, Yukimura was already fell.
This truly was one great video series to watch. I hope you will also do Boshin War series after this as it is also important period for Japan but not many people covered it at all.
Very interesting and informative series, I have questions. It seems very strange that Tokugawa would have accepted peace with basically no change in the situation while Osaka leaders were obviously not willing to live under the Tokugawa peace. Not waiting one year to attack again say it all really. So while it may seems unfair that he destroyed the walls, the war would have happen in any case so it was the right move on his side.
This siege is worse now that I know something about Japan's climate Summer in Japan IS. HELL. Humid, pounding hot and full of insects Now imagine all of that on top of sitting in a siege, getting attack by cannons and charges, slowly starving to death.
I think I mentioned before that the Sengoku Jidai era didn´t end in 1615 after the fall of Osaka castle but in 1616 when Tokugawa Ieyasu died and passed his power to his son Hidetada. I think that was the first peaceful transition of power in Japan since late 1560s and the last shoguns of the Ashikaga shogunate. Anyway, this has been a great series and a great achievement for The Shogunate. It is sad to see that there will be just one episode left in this series.
I will miss the series a lot when it's finally concluded. Maybe I'll rewatch everything again when the final episode drops. Do you have any further plan after the you're finished with the series? Like maybe go deeper into some of the legends and myths of the period?
Trivial facts 1: there's another head which could never be found. It's that of Akashi Takenori, a retainer of ukita hiedie. He might have survived the war and escaped. But.... No one knows what happened to him after the siege. Trivial fact 2: Another defender of Osaka who, at that time, was said to be no less brave than yukimura was Mori katsunaga (he probably wasn't from motonari's clan). However he was never remembered in the same way as yukimura is. Rather he gets overshadowed by other popular samurai. That's why I think he might be one of the most underrated samurai warriors until now.
Some of the losing clans of this, IIRC, still held their grudge against the Tokugawa long after this conflict. Probably not aided by the fact that Tokugawa Shoguns sidelined these clans in politics. They'd have to wait a long time though, but they'd get their chance with the Boshin War of 1868-1869, siding with Meiji and beating the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Here ends the Last great Warrior of Japan Sanada Yukimura (Nobushige) getting so close to killing Ieyasu, must have put the fear of God into Ieyasu's eyes seeing Yukimura attack him, there are many Great Warriors of the Sengoku Jidai, Yukimura is by far one of the best there was.
Sober , really sober tone for is arguably the conclusion to one of the most interesting periods in human history. An era of heroes and villains. An era of dreams and ambitions. An era whose later half was defined my the ambitions and dreams of man and the struggles of the men who inherited them after his untimely demise. I still cant believe that we reached that point. I discovered your channel way back in 2016 when I first started to slowly getting into Japanese history thanks to a game called pokemon conquest which was a crossover game with Nobunaga's ambition. Now 6 years later we are here at last and quite frankly I still can believe that we have reached the end. Shogunate thank you for the wonderful and educational journey
ieyasu needs to dismantle the defense and outnumber the army to defeat a sanada and even when outnumbered a sanada managed to cause damage and almost killed him, ueda 1 = have walls but outnumbered.... sanada still won, ueda 2 = have walls and still outnumbered..... sanada still won, osaka winter = just one tiny fort and outnumbered.... no tokugawa army managed to breach the tiny fort so technically tokugawa never able to siege a sanada's defense, i just hate that they killed yukimura instead of capturing him, i mean tokugawa got his brother nobuyuki in his ranks and he had no notion to capture him, ieyasu must've been so salty :3
I think Cao Cao reflects more with Oda Nobunaga.. While Ieyasu more reflects on Sun Quan.. Both were hailed from noble damily dynasty of hereditary vassals under their commands
@@arielquelme i wouldn't say a loser, he was a man who had to work his way up from nothing with all advantages against him with everyone else being a nobleman with vast wealth and connections, I'm sure most people back then thought Yuan Shao, Shu or Liu Biao would be the Prime Minister
I think Ieyasu did it worse than Hideyoshi, though. Hideyoshi never wiped the Oda clan entirely, just directly those who opposed him. Ieyasu instead even sent to execute a 8 year old child just because he was the son of Hideyori.
Could have saved his faction much men and lives, if he had snuffed out hideyori 😢when he was a little urchin. In a way, the famous samurais never really lose. A famous last stand wins Hollywood immortality 😊
I'm sorry, but you start breaking down my walls after we just brokered, peace, war is back on with you being the aggressor and breaking the treaties. Those Samurai should not have been allowed to pick up a single rock from the castle. Shameful Display
