How did Yukimura Sanada, the first samurai in Japan, die?

As for Sanada Yukimura, it is generally believed that he sought death in the Osaka Battle on May 7, 1615, the first year of Yuanwa, at the age of 49. However, there is another theory circulating among the people that Yukimura is not dead. They believe that those who sought death in the Osaka Formation were only two of Yukimura's Kagemusha, Kosuke Anayama and Rokuro Mochizuki, one of the Ten Warriors of Sanada.

Another theory is that Yukimura Tammaru himself protected Toyotomi Hideyori and escaped from the city when Osaka Castle was captured and then lived in seclusion. The source of this statement is probably the lyrics of a folk song that was popular at the time. The lyrics mentioned that Yukimura escorted Hideyori to Kagoshima (花のようなる秀頼 Sample を, ghost のようなるSanada が连れて, retreat きものいたり澅岛へ). It is also recorded in "Tachikawa Bunko".

Extended information

Sanada Nobushige (さなだのぶしげ, Sanada Nobushige, 1567-June 3, 1615), also known as Sanada Yukimura (さなだゆきむら, Sanada Yukimura), the second son of Masayuki Sanada, the younger brother of Nobuyuki (Nobuyuki Sanada), and the father of Nobuyuki Sanada and Morinobu Katakura. He was a famous general in Japan at the end of the Warring States Period and the last hero in the troubled times of the Warring States Period.

Sekigahara and his father were in the Western Army during the war. After the war, he was exiled to Mount Kiudo. After escaping, he defected to Osaka Castle. Because of his heroic performance in the Battle of Osaka, he was recorded by the Edo shogunate and the daimyo of various countries. Later, novels based on these historical materials depicted Sanada Yukimura and the fictional character Sanada Ten Warriors as confronting Tokugawa Ieyasu's army. A military commander who is famous in the world. Shimazu Tadahashi praised him as "Japan's number one soldier" (ひのもといちのつわもの, meaning the strongest person in the world). Together with Minamoto Yoshitsune who fought with Genpei, and Kusunoki Masashige of the Southern and Northern Dynasties era, he was listed as one of the "Three Most Powerful Soldiers in Japan" in Japanese history. The great last tragic hero".

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Sanada Yukimura