Episodes of Sanada Maru
Episode 40 YukimuraAKASHI Teruzumi draws Nobushige and KATAGIRI Katsumoto together. Katsumoto is expelled from Osaka Castle. A little while ago, He was ordered to explain the meaning of the inscription on the bell of Hokoji Temple to Ieyasu. There are some words that mean the misfortune of Ieyasu and the prosperity of the Toyotomi clan. Katsumoto wasted time in Sunpu.
While he stayed in Sunpu, Okurakyo no Tsubone visited there and talked about it with Ieyasu. He planned to cajole her out of discussing it so she insisted that there was no reason to worry. Though Katsumoto said that he schemed for something, she would not listen to it. Finally he was expelled and Ieyasu regarded the relationship between them had cut.
Katsumoto asks Nobushige to participate in the war of the Toyotimis and the Tokugawas. But he refuses it and returns to his house where Kiri is waiting for him. She urges him to join them and says that there is someone who needs him repeatedly. Though her words irritates him, he thanks for her that gives him a boost.
He changes his name from Nobushige to Yuykimura. Yuki is the letter his brother abandoned when he changed one of the letters in his name (:). And mura is after Kudoyama mura (village).
Episode 41 Nyujo (Entering Osaka Castle)
Yukimura tells TAKANASHI Naiki, Sasuke, Haru and Kiri that he will escape from Kudoyama and enter Osaka Castle to take the side of Hideyori. Ieyasu also knows that there are many ronins gather in the Castle. So Kudoyama becomes to be watched strongly. And SANADA Nobuyuki makes Nobuyoshi as his heir and in case a war occurs, he will lead the Sanada clan but Nobumasa is dissatisfied with it.
One night Yukimura invites the villagers and TAKEMOTO Gidayu who is in charge of watching them. He and his family, Naiki, Kiri and Sasuke dance Karigane odori (**) and they go out of the room one by one and never appeared in front of them again. Then they hide themselves in an abandoned temple and depart for Osaka secretly.
Yukimura disguises himself as an old man and enters Osaka Castle. There are many ronins who were famous daimyos or samurais but beaten in the Battle of Sekigahara. Yukimura takes off his kimono and wig and wears Kamishimo to greet Hideyori. He throws out his chest in front of Hideyori and manages the transport of provisions. Hideyori feels reassured about it.
Episode 42 Mikata (The Comrades in Arms)
Nobushige meets Chacha for the first time in fourteen years. Her uncle ODA Urakusai, who occasionally counsels her says that he is useful in some cases. Hideyori gives him a room but he refuses it and applies for a shared room. Then he live in a room with CHOSOKABE Morichika. His family and vassals are given several rooms apart from that.
Ieyasu dispatches his army to Osaka led by TOKUGAWA Hidetada. And Sasuke delivers Yukimura’s letter to Nobuyuki in Edo and brings HOTTA Sakubei to Osaka though stopped by Nobuyuki. Sakubei goes to Osaka after the marriage of his niece Sue. At Osaka Castle, Yukimura is offered to become a general of his army.
At the war council in the castle, ONO Shuri Harunaga announces that Hideyori hopes that Yukimura will lead the army but it is refused by GOTO Matabei. The council becomes uncontorollable and results in dividing the ronins into five troops and each of them has it own leaders (The Osaka Five). Though TAKANASHI Naiki worries about it, Yukimura says that their ambition is strong and is different from the soldiers of the Tokugawa Army in this respect.
(*) In regard to this, please see
the episode 37 "Nobuyuki"(**) A local dance of Shinano. KO (Sei-in in) dances it in the wedding ceremony of Nobushige (Yukimura).
SANADA Yukimura (Masato Sakai, left) who disguises himself as an old man enters Osaka Castle.
The image is from the DVD series of "Sanada Maru"