Sanada Yukimura Samurai Hero tour
The Kudoyama Sanada Museum
The Kudoyama Sanada Museum is located in the town of Kudoyama, Wakayama
Prefecture.
It opened in March 2016 with the aim of
passing down the story of three generations of the Sanada family—Masayuki,
Yukimura (Nobushige), and Daisuke—to future generations.
Sanada Masayuki (1547–1611) was a warlord
known for surviving the Warring States period by employing brilliant strategy
while based at Ueda Castle in Shinano Province, despite being surrounded by the
powerful Uesugi, Tokugawa, and Hojo clans.
Although he defeated the massive Tokugawa
army twice, he sided with the Western Army during the Battle of Sekigahara;
consequently, he was exiled to Rengejoin Temple on Mount Koya and spent the
remainder of his life in Kudoyama.
Sanada Yukimura (1567–1615), the second son
of Masayuki, spent time as a hostage of the Uesugi and Toyotomi clans.
Following the Battle of Sekigahara, he was placed under house arrest alongside
his father and lived in Kudoyama for 14 years.
He distinguished himself during the Winter Siege
of Osaka (1614) by constructing the "Sanada-maru" fortification, but
met a heroic end during the Summer Siege of Osaka (1615). He came within a
hair's breadth of cornering Tokugawa Ieyasu and was acclaimed as "Japan's
greatest warrior."
Sanada Daisuke (1603–1615) was born in
Kudoyama; he fought alongside Yukimura in the Summer Siege of Osaka and
committed *seppuku* (ritual suicide) with Toyotomi Hideyori at Osaka Castle.
The museum introduces the three generations
of the Sanada family's life of patient endurance in Kudoyama, while also
presenting their time in Ueda, the Siege of Osaka, and Sanada legends through
panels and video displays.
Additionally, an exhibition dedicated to
the NHK historical drama *Sanada-maru* (broadcast in 2016) was held at the
site.
It is a 10-minute walk from Kudoyama
Station on the Nankai Koya Line. Parking is available at the "Kaki-no-Sato
Kudoyama" roadside station.
Zenmyosho-in 善名称院
Sanada-an 真田庵
Sanada-an is located in Kudoyama Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture;
officially, it is a temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect known as Zenmyosho-in.
It goes by the mountain name Karada-san,
and its principal image is the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (Jizo Bosatsu).
The site is traditionally believed to be where Sanada Masayuki and his
son Yukimura lived in exile after their defeat at the Battle of Sekigahara
in 1600; the temple gate features carvings of the Sanada family crests
the "Six Coins" (Rokuren-sen) and the "Interlocked Wild
Geese" (Musubi-karigane).
The originof the temple date back to 1741,
when the monk Daian-shonin, a native of Kudoyama, converted the site of Sanada
Masayuki's grave into a temple.
Daian-shonin actively promoted the “Dosha-kaji” ritual (a rite involving
blessed sand and stones); he built a “Dosha-do” (Sand-Blessing Hall) to
house purified pebbles, and the current “San-ken-do” (Three-Bay Hall) rebuilt
during the Edo period features a “hogyo-zukuri” (pyramidal) roof.
The main hall is built in the “yatsumune-zukuri”
style, and the roof tiles feature the chrysanthemum crest, which the temple was
permitted to use by Emperor Momozono.
Sanada Masayuki's “Hokyoin-to”
(pagoda-style stone monument) remains on the grounds, and the site is
designated as a cultural property of Kudoyama Town under the name "Grave
of Sanada Awa-no-Kami Masayuki."
In May, the Sanada Festival is held,
centered around Sanada-an, to honor the memory of Sanada Yukimura; the event
features a procession of warriors, including the "Sanada Ten Braves"
(Sanada Juyushi).
In front of the *San-ken-do* stands a stone
monument inscribed with a haiku by Buson: "Living in seclusion, one hears
the chanting of Sanada tales amidst the cherry blossoms."
Additionally, near the small wicket gate,
there is another Buson haiku monument: "Gather round the *kotatsu* and
speak of Sanada's Winter Campaign."
It is a five-minute walk from Kudoyama Station on the Nankai Electric Railway Koya Line. A municipal parking lot is located along the road on the south side.
Six coins (Rokumon-sen)
The Sanada clan of Japan's Sengoku and Edo periods used the "Rokumon-sen" (六文銭) as their family crest, which depicts six coins.
The meaning behind this crest is linked to a traditional belief in the
afterlife.
In Japanese Buddhist tradition, it was thought that when a person died,
they needed six coins to pay the ferryman to cross the Sanzu River, which
separates the living world from the afterlife.
By adopting the six coins as their crest, the Sanada clan symbolized their readiness for death, indicating their fearlessness in battle.
It was a declaration that they were always prepared to face death with
honor and would fight bravely without hesitation.
This strong connection to bravery and acceptance of mortality made the
Rokumon-sen a fitting symbol for the Sanada clan, known for their courage
and resilience.
Sanada Kofun (Sanada Burial Mound) 
The Sanada Kofun (Sanada Burial Mound) is located in Kudoyama Town, Wakayama
Prefecture. It is associated with the legend of "Sanada's Escape Tunnel"
(Sanada no Nukeana).
Situated south of the Izumi Mountain Range,
it lies on the slope of a terraced plateau carved by the Kino and Niu Rivers.
Although originally a circular burial mound
from the late Kofun period, the mound itself has been eroded, and the ceiling
stones of the stone chamber are missing, allowing one to look directly into the
underground stone chamber.
The chamber is a south-facing,
horizontal-entry type, constructed with side walls of stacked split stones and
a back wall and ceiling made of flat stone slabs.
The entrance passage measures 1.4 meters in
length, 1.7 meters in width, and 1.2 meters in height, while the main burial
chamber measures 3 meters in length, 1.8 meters in width, and 1.7 meters in
height.
A pillar stone stands at the boundary
between the entrance passage and the main chamber; it is believed to have
served as a door stone for the main chamber.
Artifacts recovered from the main chamber
include Sue ware cups, the stems of pedestal bowls, Haji ware dishes, and
disk-shaped stone objects.
Located 180 meters east of Sanada-an, the
site is associated with Sanada Yukimura—famous for fighting under the "Six
Coins" banner during the Summer Siege of Osaka (1614) —who is said to have
built a hermitage here.
Because the main chamber, enclosed by large
stones, resembles the entrance to a tunnel, the mound has been handed down in
local lore as "Sanada's Escape Tunnel."
The “Kiishoku Fudoki” (Chronicles of Kii
Province) records: "In the place called Furogaito in this village, there
are the remains of a burial mound... and the villagers call it 'Sanada's
Hole'."
A 10-minute walk from Kudoyama Station on
the Nankai Koya Line.
