Sanada (Yukimura) Nobushige’s War Fan

During the 1614 Winter Siege of Osaka, Matsudaira Naomasa, a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, fought well against the Sanada clan around the area known as the Sanada-Maru, a large semi-circular fortified plot of land south of Osaka Castle that played a major role in protecting the Toyotomi held castle. 7,000 Sanada samurai defended the Sanada-Maru.

Sanada Fan

Despite being on opposite sides, the warrior Sanada (Yukimura) Nobushige threw his fan to Matsudaira Naomasa in recognition of his bravery and fortitude during the battle. The winter Siege of Osaka was Naomasa’s first battle experience. He was only 14 years old at the time.

The fan is kept in National Treasure listed Matsue Castle, and was designated a Cultural Asset of Matsue in 1965.