Kudoyama Sanada Museum

(Kudoyama Town, Wakayama Prefecture)

【Tsuwamono (兵)】 refers to a samurai soldier in Japanese, especially one who is strong on the battlefield. Yukimura Sanada is known as the best samurai soldier (Tsuwamono) in Japan. His father, Masayuki Sanada, was also a well-known samurai who used ingenious stratagems. The father and son were strong opponents of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. Despite being a small clan, they made the powerful Tokugawa clan suffer on the battlefields with their military tactics.

One notable battle occurred during the Warring States period in the 16th century when local lords fought for supremacy. The Sanada clan ruled the Ueda region, the eastern part of what is now Nagano Prefecture. This region had military tension because it faced the territories of three powerful lords. In 1585, the Tokugawa clan invaded the area with 7,000 men. The Sanada clan only had 2,000 men, less than one-third of Tokugawa’s troops.

Masayuki Sanada lured Tokugawa’s troops deep into their castle. When Tokugawa’s soldiers reached the second citadel of the castle, Masayuki initiated fierce attacks from inside. The Tokugawa’s men were trapped in narrow streets within the castle, pushed away by enemies from the front, while friendly reinforcements from the back pushed them further inside, causing the troops to fall into disarray. After struggling to escape from the castle, they ran into a river where their friendly position was located on the other side. The housemen of the Sanada clan pursued and attacked them. Half of those trying to cross the river drowned. Due to the heavy losses, the Tokugawa army retreated to their own territory.

Wakayama

The Town Where True Samurai Honed His Spirit