Seen a few comments saying that Benkei was in fact a Sohei and not a Samurai. While that is true and a labeling mistake on my part, he was still one of the greatest Japanese warriors to ever live. Besides that, if I were to have put Tomoe Gozen or Tachibana Ginchiyo on this list like other people are suggesting, I would still run into the same problem of "they weren't really Samurai." Either way, if a Japanese warrior fought alongside samurai in wars between samurai clans, I consider that warrior a contender for this list.
@First Last The thing is, like I mention above Benkei was still a Japanese warrior who fought alongside samurai in a war between samurai. Also he entered into samurai-like retainer service under Yoshitsune which begins to blur the line between samurai and sohei. I still feel he's perfect for the list, even though I mislabeled him in the video.
Hey great content you have on your channel, i actually want to ask if you ever tought about making videos on the theme of samurai martial arts, like the schools of kenjutsu and koryu-jutsu about the art of ju-jutsu wich people often forget but was an way of training body and mind for wars. you know, often talking about war on a great scale we forget some details.
@@mat34105 That would be really cool, I even want to get into kenjutsu myself one day. But Unfortunately I am not a martial arts practitioner so I feel I may be out of my element making videos about martial arts.
@@TheShogunate well i was thinking something on the historical line of it, less on the lines of actual technique, and more about general stuff, but it is really difficult to talk about it without prior knowledge practical nor theorical. anyway keep up the videos they´re awesome
In Japan, it is said that when a human dies, he crosses the "Sanzu River" and goes to the afterlife. Six coins are required as a ferry to cross the Sanzu River. The six coins, which are the family crest of Yukimura Sanada, are proof that they are not afraid of death.
The conspiracy theory is Sanada clan must survive during the chaotic post sekigahara time and pre fall of Osaka castle.. Sanada clan was divided into two sides, one to osaka - toyotomi side (Yukimura) and one to edo - tokugawa side (Nobuyuki). Futhermore, in the end whoever won the battle toyotomi or tokugawa, sanada would still survive. This, due to many big clans that was believed could match Tokugawa fell so quickly after sekigahara, like Mori clan lost 3/4 of their fiefs, Ukita clan, Otani clan, Chosokabe clan, Ishida clan and Uesugi clan. So, maybe Sanada was in a dilemma and thus led to this decision.
That sounds like the River Styx of Greek Mythology where it is the river that separates the world of the living and the world of the dead. Also in their mythology, a coin is placed in the mouth of the deceased as their payment to Charon, the ferryman on the river thst takes souls to the underworld!
Man Honda Tadakatsu is literally a legend among legends. To never sustain serious injuries throughout all the wars he’s been through is almost mathematically impossible. His presence alone can no doubt change the morale on the battlefield.
@@Kodousinx That's a very interesting time period in japanese history, especially the stories of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. But I'm also interested in earlier periods, like the Kamakura period (Kamakura jidai? Not sure if that's the correct term).
I just watched the new samurai documentary/reanactment on Netflix. I think its called Age of Samurai. It goes over the rain of oda nabunaga and toyotomi hedeyoshi. Highly recommend
@arielquelme I agree Tachibana Dosetsu was amazing, especially considering he was struck by lightning. I think the only reason he wasn't included is this was the top generals who also fought on the battlefield. But as Dosetsu couldn't walk i can't see how he would do a lot of fighting himself. For that reason I understand why Kuroda Yoshitaka isn't on the list either. My top 3 would be Date Masamune, and Ii Naomasa and Minamoto Yoshitsune might be tied for me. I would have to do a time era list as well since there were drastic changes in the way battle was conducted. Also different categories like Generals, strategists, swordsman ect.
Benkei died standing on his feet. Story goes that he held off the warriors for hours and when they finally killed him with arrows he remained standing and they were afraid to approach him.
@@Bastion70 I was thinking the same. Dian Wei standing and blocking while letting Cao Cao and the rest to flee the castle. He died due to heavy bleeding sustained from multiple arrow damage.
@@shaik4122Hello Thanks for commenting made me happy to see someone else was thinking this. I've been playing KoeiWarriors games since Dynasty Warriors 3 this is pretty much where my knowledge comes from with regards to the three kingdoms period and warring states period.
The bromance of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune is my favorite story in Japanese history. Just the stories of those 2 constantly bailing eachother out of bad situations is entertaining. Ieyasu litterally saving Masamune from Hideyoshi's wrath TWICE at great personal risk is what friendship is all about.
Miyamoto Musashi was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin. Renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels.He is considered a Kensei, a sword-saint of Japan
He is best known for making the only recording of his own legendary acts. A book was later written based on his writings that then further embellished his supposed actions. So much about him has been called into question, it is hard to say if he actually even existed or is just a character written by someone else.
I've been steadily working my way through Nioh 1 for the past year, and I love it so far. Hopefully I can get a review of it out soon, although I may try to cover some easier games first haha.
I would have Shima Sakon instead of Fukushima Masanori in Sekigahara Ii Naomasa let’s Matsudaira Tadayoshi fire the first shot the vanguard charge was made by Masanori against Ukita Hideie
many reason yukimura join toyotomi, first, he hated leyasu, cause sanada fight the tokugawa 2 times in ueda castle. second, he is married to otani yoshitsugu's daughter, otani is a close friend of ishida mitsunari and he died at sekigahara
Heck, I'm pretty sure he knew how pointless it was as well. He just wanted to fight and die with honor. I don't really agree with that mentality, but I can't help but respect him. I don't respect him bringing his son along for the ride.
Only recently i found this channel and I regretted not finding this sooner. Every episode of the Sengoku Jidai was here and it pumps my adrenaline to its core. One of my og favorites was Dosetsu Tachibana who was the father of Ginchiyo Tachibana. The man in his childhood cut a lightning in half and still lived and while half paralyzed he led and fought battles in Kyushu, never losing once in his life. Shingen had a list that if he were to fight someone, it would be Dosetsu Tachibana himself.
My reactions 10. Alright! Good start! He's been with Oda at the very beginning and was a veteran samurai. The legendary, Devil Shibata. 9. Ooooo! A Heian Samurai! And also one of my favorite characters from Tales of Genji! 8. Yes! One of Hideyoshi's biggest retainers alongside Kiyomasa and Mitsunari. 7. The red cladded samurai who led one of the biggest clans that served under Tokugawa, as well as a member of a clan that has deep longevity during the Sengoku Jidai. 6. I actually never knew this guy because I haven't looked much up before the Sengoku Era (aside from a bit of Heian) 5. There's the bloodthirsty bastard! Another, veteran warrior of Hideyoshi's retainers alongside Masanori and Mitsunari. 4. Second eldest of the Shimazu brothers and definitely the most deserving of his fame for his raid and ambush tactics. 3. One of (if not the greatest) samurai of the Heian period and the main protagonist of the Tales of Genji. 2. The Strongest of the East and the best Samurai of the early, Sengoku Jidai, matched only by Muneshige Tachibana. (Who I'm surprised wasn't on here, being the strongest of the West) 1. Really, who else? Almost all daimyos and samurais during the end of the Sengoku Jidai agreed that Yukimura was the greatest samurai in the land and of the Sengoku Jidai.
Oh, this is really an awesome video, your ranking exactly comprised all "three greatest tragic heroes" (labelled by the Japanese themselves) in the Japanese history, they were : Sanada Yukimura (真田幸村), Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義經) and Kusunoki Masashige (楠木正成). They all became the greatest legend in the Japanese mind. And your other choices in some extent displayed many Sengoku fans' favorite - such like Shimazu Yoshihiro (島津義弘) who conducted a brilliant "forward retreat" in the Battle of Sekigahara that forged his immortal heroism, Honda Tadakatsu (本多忠勝) who was renowned for fierce loyalty to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Il Naomasa (井伊直政) who succeeded the Takeda clan's "Scarlet Army" (赤備え) that with his valiance and incredible leadership this military force made a great name across Japan. Mention few more figures worthy to be named of among the greatest samurai warriors : Tachibana Dosetsu (立花道雪) - a highly skilled, prestigious and charismatic warrior and commander who devoted to the Otomi Clan ; his abundance of military prowess and leadership would bequeath to his equally talented adopted-son Muneshige. Tachibana Muneshige (立花宗茂) - ever served the Otomi Clan, the Toyotomi Clan and the Tokugawa Clan, with numerous deeds of valiance, loyalty and conquest. Toyotomi Hideyoshi valued him equal with Honda Tadakatsu for the ranking of the greatest samurai in contemporary era. His military career spanned from the late Sengoku Era to the Edo Period, in which he even participated the pacification of the AD 1637 Shimabara Rebellion at the age of 70 ! He's my No.1 favorite. Magara Naotaka (真柄直隆) - who served the Asakura Clan in the Sengoku Era, very skilled in using pike. Hijikata Toshizo (土方歳三) - a great warrior leader in the Boshin War which signalized the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Satake Yoshishige (佐竹義重) - One of the greatest enemies of Data Masamune. According to the legend, he slew 7 enemy warriors in just a moment of time, thus earned him the frightening nickname of "Oni Yoshishige" (鬼義重) ; Oni = Devil
Yessss Sir Muneshige Tachibana has quickly rose to 1 of my top 5 favorites, not a lot of people talk about him and hes not that well known but he was great and should be on here just for his accomplishments at a young age
Love the detail you had. I just have a few things to say about a few. Magara Naotaka was a master with an Odachi and bravely covered the Asakura's retreat at Anegawa. I've never heard of him being skilled with a pike/Yari. I don't agree with Sanada Yukimura being on any greatest list. He switched lords about 7 times, something not told about him a lot. His brother used his influence to spare him after Sekigahara and he makes an agreement to stay at Mt Koya and be a monk. Which he obviously breaks, and his brother could've paid with his life. They treated him very well while he was there, with Komatsu bringing him food ect. I see him as an extremely disloyal, ingrate. Same with Shimazu Yoshihiro, a 65 year old ordering his nephew Toyohisa to pretend to be him while he, already 65 makes his escape. To me that's cowardice and extremely disgusting. I'll admit I've read accounts that vary. I want to believe the account that Toyohisa dying before his retreat/charge was the impetus that caused it. But I've read the former account in many different sources and only a few say Toyohisa died before the charge. If it was Toyohis's decision that would change things. Especially if Yoshihiro didn't know he was doing this. But I liked and agreed with most of your list. For Azuchi/Momoyama Ii Naomasa and his bastard son Naotaka and Date Masamune are my top 3.
@@albertonavarro8904 i played jin extreamly honorably never got a single storm never did any stealth only direct open combat story actually acknowledges that
Stardu5t to be fair, i played as honourably as i could, only doing a few assassinations only when i had to, i tried my best to be ‘samurai’ but even though i was so honourable, the story itself didn’t change in my opinion
It was pretty cool to watch this video while playing Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, since I got to know a bit more of some of these characters in the game.
wonderful video, I've been learning so much about Japanese history ever since I've been playing Samurai warrior 5 (which helps me to know who a few o the samurai are). I'm addicted to your channel!
Great video. I credit the game Nioh for my current interest in learning as much as I can about sengoku jedai and samurai's in general. I am thankful to that great game and thankful I found your channel. I knew some of the names that have appeard on your list thanks to Nioh, but the others I did not know, so unfortunately I cannot make a personal top 10 list, but I will definitely do research and much reading on the samurai's on your list.
@@Mikesman1000 to become a ronin you would have to fail your lord and later on musashi fought for the tokugawa in the shimabara Rebellion he was more of a wondering Samurai rather than a ronin but i do understand why you thought he was a ronin i use to think he was
Finally I get to hear some real facts about yukimura as to what made this guy a legend. I have to say one castle holding off against a United japan and nearly killing Tokugawa, number 1 is deserving.
It was Osaka castle. Which was a huge collection of satellite castles and forts surrounding it. Far to much is made of Yukimura when there were other great warriors there as well. Kimura Shigenari for one.
So glad that Musashi wasn't in on the list. One minor correction, you said half a century(50 years) instead of 5 centuries or half a millennium (500 years) later in Masashige's case...
One Samurai I would like to bring up is Yamada Nagamasa, though not as well known in Japan, he is very well known in Thailand for fighting alongside the King of Ayutthaya (present day Thailand) against the Burmese. He along with many Christian converts and Ronin setteled in Ayutthaya and he even became appointed a Govenor because of his heroism in the war.
This is just making me appreciate Nioh 1 and 2 more and more. It is so underrated for its weaving history and fiction into a fun, and surprisingly educational story
I have 3 pages from what I think it's a collection of ancient and modern warriors, printed in Japan in 1878. There are 12 warriors (4 on each page), some are clearly samurai, some are warriors of ancient China. After watching your video I decided to make some research on the content of the text (in old Japanese) and I was happy to find that one of the samurai figures is Honda Tadakatsu! I didn't know his story at all and now the number 2 greatest samurai is there, printed on one of the few pages I managed to have! Thank you for letting me know about him!
I have thought long and deeply about this strategy and reached the conclusion that the only way to beat Miyamoto would be to show up to a duel without a sword BUT to act like you have an invisible sword.
Some names of Samurai I won't forget ever : 1) Oda Nobunaga 2) Akechi Mitsuhide 3) Date Masamune 4) Date Shigezane 5) Katakura Kojuro 6) Sanada Yukimura 7) Sanada Nobuyuki 8) Sanada Masayuki 9) Takeda Shingen 10) Uesugi Kenshin 11) Toyotomi Hideyoshi 12) Tokugawa Iyeasu 13) Ishida Mitsunari 14) Otani Yoshitsugu 15) Kato Kiyomasa 16) Maeda Toshiee 17) Toramatsu 18) Kakizaki Kageie 19) Date Teramune 20) Shima Sakon 21) Honda Tadakatsu 22) Tadatsugu 23) Kagetsugu 24) Kanestsugu I've heard all these names in an otome game "Samurai love ballad party" best samurai romance game. We can learn a lot of Japanese history in that. Slbp fans hit the like button.....
As much as I like Yukimura, there is something wrong with what you mentioned. He literally didn't join the campaign against Korea. He is in the Japanese isle at that time. There are only three noticeable battles for Yukimura: The siege of Odawara at 1590, the siege of Ueda at 1600, and the two sieges of Osaka at 1614 and 1615. That is why to this day, there are still people call him "overrated". He is still a true warrior with a phenomenal story, and it has been largely recognized, so it is probably fair to put him at the top of your list. But considering the lack of battles he participated in, he is no way near the best samurai in Japan history for me. Keep up the good work!
Agreed, as much as I also like Yukimura- I think his reputation proceeds him as many Generals of Ieyasu, who gave good word of mouth. Reminds me similar to Guan Yu and Cao Cao who Cao Cao highly regarded.
"Musashi is the greatest samurai duelist of all time.." Hmm.. I reckon Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, Bokuden, Itto Ittosai and others would probably take exception to that. Most famous outside Japan for sure though.
He's deffs one of the top 3 greatest duelests in Japan. And also depends on Era. That said he had a natural advantage. Most likely ambidextrous. And he learned jutte jutsu early from his family and adapted it to wakizashi forms. The jitte/jutte are basically the samurai version of a sai. But only one prong.
@@bmxriderforlife1234 I named 3 others who were considered superior in Musashi's day, and after. You can add Ono Tadaaki, Yagyu Munenori, Hyogonosuke and Jubei, Marume Kurando and plenty of others. So no, not even top 3. Munisai's jitte is not the same as jutte - the jitte is a knife with a cross guard, often used in conjunction with a sword.. ie dual wielded. Likely the source of Musashi's one-handed sword use.
@@galanakagalactus903 there is not a single contemporaneous record of him using two swords. According to all historical records he used a single sword, often one-handed.
@@Finny1996 Yes their is. The fact Musashi dual wielded is a fact not an opinion, confirmed by the man himself. So unless the historical record you are referring to was from Musashi then it has zero credibility. Everyone knows Musashi scholar not just a swordsman. Niten Ichi-ryū basically meant school of two heavens/swords as one and if you're gonna ask what Niten Ichi-ryū is then that proves my point. I know you might not like the guy but credit where it's due. He was could dual wield and had dual wielding techniques.
I just appreciated the fact, that at least three of these names were not featured in Samurai Warriors. Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't only know of Benkai and Minimoto from the Genji series.
Wow Shimazu Yoshihiro lived a long life considering how battle ridden he was, to live into your 80s now is a good life let alone in a time of constant bloody war. The man was in his 60s during when he was fighting in the Imjin War? Damn my respect for Shimazu clan has just increased because of this.
Date masamume One of his famous words is as follows. "If you are too benevolent, you become weak. If you are too righteous, you will be hard. If you are too polite, you will flatter. If you are too wise, you will tell lies. If you are too trusting, you will suffer loss." Although he had some ambitions, he had always been a realist. It is said that if Date Masamune had been born a few decades earlier, he would have taken the throne.
There's a video in this Channel about Ninjas, they weren't what Hollywood and 20 Century movies showed us, so... If he was high class person he was a Bushi (Samurai)
It's a pity that Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who was instrumental in overthrowing the Taira clan, was forced to commit suicide because his brother Yoritomo considered him dangerous.
Musashi also fought in the Shimabara rebellion and possibly fought on the side Toyotomi Hideyori in both the summer and winter campaigns. So that would mean he would have participated in 3 battles. There is only confirmation of his participation in the Shimabara rebellion, but enough sources suggest that he participated in the other 2 battles that it would not be unreasonable to assume that he participated in those as well.
Yes buh he was a ronin most of his life which wouldn’t really make sense to put him on here especially when almost all of these guys died well serving as samurai
It's interesting that who many would consider the greatest Knight; William Marshall and your choice of Greatest Samurai both spent their youths as hostages.
These are great! Learning quite a bit about the Samurai. I was wondering where you find some of the portrait artwork you have shown it's really well done, Thanks!
Something about Benkei, I heard from one source that he wandered Kyoto killing samurai not because he thought them unworthy, but because he simply wanted one hundred blades, as it seemed like everyone of note had a hundred of something.
Actually I knew it all of this great samurai by playing the game "Samurai warriors 2" and it was very accurate and amazing game. And have part when you always face with "Tadakatsu Honda" play an special soundtrack for him.
Nice video as always and totally agree with your list although you should probably add honorable mention like shinmo sakon and magara notoka and fuma ..... keep up the good work 👍
Well my all time favorite is still Otani Yoshitsugu (or Gyobu), though i get why he didnt make it i to this video. He didn't fight in too many battles since he became ill and later blind and incapable of even standing, but his friendship with Ishida is a great one. Together with him in top Five would be Ishida Mitsunari, Torii Mototoda, Tomoe Gozen and Saito Musashibo Benkei.
Otani Yoshitsugu is definitely worthy of respect, which he did receive from his peers. He was also influential during the invasion of Korea. Ishida Mitsunari on the other hand definitely doesn't deserve to make the list. In fact one of the biggest reasons Tokugawa won the Sekigahara campaign was that so many daimyo did not respect Ishida Mitsunari, viewing him as a glorified accountant rather than a capable samurai. While Mitsunari's rise to power is impressive in it's own right, his mismanagement of it and resultant fall is among the most disastrous in samurai history.
@@Naraku-no-Hana-WE Well i get where you are coming from. Its true that Ishida was more of a politican than a samurai, but i still prefer his resolve and what he fought for. He also wasnt smurai on inside since he had this rather naive approach where he wanted to befriend all the lords, being soft on them, not earning their trust or loyalty (Wich showed during the battle of sekigahara since most of his allied lords betrayed him and converted to Ieyasu or just didnt do anything). I can also see that Japan would maybe fall back to the old Toyotomi style of ruling or would break up even more if Mitsunari were to win. Still he tried to do the right thing by helping Hideyori who was the "rightfull" heir and his approach, if not that of the standart samurai, was at least peacefull, not like Tokugawa who killed off half of his family just to achieve what he did. On pair with Otani Yoshitsugu would be Admiral Yi Sun Shin, but since this was video about Japan, i did not include him there.
Based on how Extra Credits series on the Segoku Jidai made him sound I as expecting Hattori Hanzō to be somewhere on the list. I enjoyed learning about the samurai on this list and their exploits. Thanks.
@@TheYaji1988 Debatable. Most likely he was in actuality a shinobi and only listed as a "samurai from the remote province of Iga" for the sake of appearances. It's also possible he was the opposite, a samurai that employed ninja from his home province. Keep in mind the ninja only revealed themselves to the most powerful lords of the land until after the Boshin war. While Iga province did in fact have both samurai and ninja, it is extremely unlikely that there were ever members of samurai clans that also trained in ninjutsu.
Im surprised that Uesugi Kenshin, Masakage Yamagata, Hojo Tsunashige, Tachibana Dosetsu, Tachibana Muneshige, Kosaka Masanobu, or even Sakon Shima made the list. Just as a side note, Ii Naomasa’s Red Cavalry was a direct copy of its predecessor, the Takeda Red Cavalry, led by Masakage Yamagata, who was known to be one of Takeda Shingen’s most able generals. Either way, cool list hope to see more content!
@@Zee200hideyoshi and toshiie are rivals but close friends since they were kids. by nobunaga, hideyoshi are called "saru" means monkey, while toshiie are called "inu" means dog. monkey and dog are always rival in japan lore. when hideyoshi becomes kampaku, toshiie becomes dainagon, or second in command. these guys often meet eye to eye to discuss strategy. maeda matsu and nene are also close and have political powers on their own
Last March 2020, it was shown on TV program hosted by the Mazai due of Ohta and Tanaka of Bakusho Mondai that a survey covering 100,000 people in Japan to rank top samurai during Sengoku period. Below was the ranking. In the said program, there was small commentary of the positive attributes of each lord and why they were positively viewed: Oda- forward looking and his tolerance ti the europeans; Uesugi and Sadada - I think their pure samurai spirit or something on that direction, Date - military skills and the way he built his town. Of the ranking where Uesugi was above Takeda, Ohta san made a comment saying he thought and probably most people thought Takeda was above. 1. Oda Nobunaga 2. Uesugi Kenshin 3. Date Masamune 4. Sanada Yukimura 5. Tokugawa Ieyasu 6. Toyotomi Hideyoshi 7. Takeda Shingen 8. Kuroda Kanbei 9. Akemichi Mitsuhide 10. Ishida Mistunari
@@andyandbee i love both games of Genji.. I've played them now even though it is 4 years later now but yeah. I also played all three games of Kessen too..
@androsthewarriorhighalpha cool. There was a major battle in the second Genji that you couldn't take a break and save or restock items, and when I defeated one of the major enemies and was so glad I beat it, there turned out to be more fighting and I still couldn't save. That's when I gave up on it. I actually would love to finish it, but it was when I first got a Ps3 and I had other games I wanted to play. I still have both so I'll probably replay it. I've always wanted to try Kessen bc I love strategy games but I couldn't tell if it was fictional characters or historical
@@androsthewarriorhighalpha oh, i forgot to say I still play dawn of the samurai bc i still consider it one of the best games ever, along with Samurai Warriors and Nobunaga's ambition series
@@andyandbee It actually had historical characters.. In Kessen 2 it was the different version of Dynasty Warriors.. While Kessen 1 and Kessen 3 were all about Tokugawa and Nobunaga they look very different from their Samurai Warriors counterparts..
10. Yasuke: His life is so fascinating, I just wanna mention him. His bravery and loyalty deserve to recognize. Is he a samurai? I definetely count him as. 9.Hojo Tsunashige: Yellow warrior of Hojo. How he hold Kawagoe castle is so heroic. 8.Kaihime: I wanna add one female warrior. Her bravery on Oshi castle is worth to mention. She basically tarnished Ishida Mitsunari's reputation forever. 7.Murakami Yoshikiyo: Kenshin's fierce warrior. He is basically a Takeda slayer. 6.Ii Naomasa: Red devil of Tokugawa. Another fierce warrior. 5.Torii Mototada: Basically Tokugawa owe everything to him. His last stand in Fushimi Castle is a legend. 4.Yamagata Masakage, Naito Masatoyo, Baba Nobufusa: I can't seperate these Takeda trio. My favorite is Nobufusa, how he hold his ground and saved Katsuyori despite his quarrel with him during Nagashino is a brave act. Yamagata and Naito are another Takeda legends. 3.Sanada Yukimura: Most popular choice, I can't add anything but a little overrated I think. 2.Honda Tadakatsu: Tokugawa's strongest weapon, the battles he fought, noone could reach him. 1.Maeda Keiji and Hattori Hanzo: My all time favorite Samurai Warriors. Keiji's bravery and Hanzo loyalty are what made them my favorites.
Kaihime was a very incredible warrior, it would be interesting a video only with samurai women. One of my favorites is Yoshioka Myorinni, she defended her castle against Shimazu clan attacks 16 times.
Yeah I was a little shocked there were no Hojo, Uesugi, or Takeda clan samurai in the video. While you don't necessarily need one from each clan, someone should have made the list. If we're talking female samurai there are two names that have to be mentioned. Gozen Tomoe, easily the most famous and skilled female samurai that we know; and Tachibana Ginchiyo, who may not have been a heroic warrior with battle accomplishments but was the only female to rule as a sengoku-era daimyo for a period of time. Mind you the later is not enough of an accomplishment to make the list, but Tomoe could be considered. As mentioned in a previous comment, Hattori Hanzo most likely was not actually of the samurai class. But even if he was we know little of his accomplishments outside of safely guiding Tokugawa Ieyasu away from the Akechi ambush.
I want become a great samurai like heihachiro Togo..my favorite samurai ..he live in Philippines .in general Santos city.mindanao..hes son live in mindanao Mr Jerry Togo..
Even though its a heroic death for yukimura in the end the winners of this war where the Sanada clan because Masayuki ordered his two sons to serve either side with Nobuyuki on Tokugawa and Yukimura on Toyotomi. Why Yukimura chose to be with the losing side is because if the Toyotomi won the war they would gain immense reputation and when the Tokugawa won they retained their lands.
Actually their wives were the key which one choose which side. Yukimura married with Otani Yoshitsugu's daughter adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobuyuki married with Honda Tadakatsu's daughter adopted by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Musashi wasn't just at Sekigahara, we also have records of his participation in the Osaka campaign from "Nitenki" but we don't have clear details other than he distinguished himself on the battlefield. I agree that ,because we don't have a clear picture of Musashi's actions in the 6 battles he fought and he was primarily a duelist, he doesn't belong on the list.
Some people don't believe that Musashi actually participated in the Sekigahara battle. I also find it highly unlikely to survive the slaughter after the battle.
Fascinating material I grew up learning about them because my grandfather killed a alot if them in ww2. He also said they were the meanest warriors because of thier Samurai doctrines, no fear of death. I always loved watching Samurai flix as a kid. Thier purpose is to serve thier master as warriors and die if need b
I would like to see more on the 2 other members of the heavenly kings of the Tokugawa - Sakakibara Yasumasa and Sakai Tadatsugu. It seems these two often are overshadowed by the other 2 : Ii Naomasa and Honda Tadakatsu for obvious reasons I'm sure. But I think the other 2 must have some interesting backgrounds and stories as well
If Yoshitsune had lived, the Kamakura Shogunate might have been more solid. However, the Kamakura Shogunate lasted for a long time because the Hojo clan, which took over the real power from the Minamoto clan, was capable.
Another great video again like the Leaders video I agree with all your choices, maybe have Naomas in Yoshihiro's place other than that great choices. Only one mistake I noticed one of the Naomasa Ii pics is actually his son Naotaka. Yukimura as number 1 I expected would have been shocked if he wasn't and Tadakatsu number 2 is justified. some worthy adds could have been Nobuharu (Nobufusa) Baba another reported to have not been injured in battle until his untimely death at Nagashino. I guess Kojiro Sasaki may have been in the same boat as Musashi I don't know.
Yukimura's legacy always fascinates me. He was born into a smaller clan compared to other Major ones during the Sengoku Period. He could just easily switch to the Tokugawa side like his brother Nobuyuki Sanada but he remained loyal to his friends and formal allies which led him to his demise. But it is without a doubt that Yukimura was brave, wise and strong as a leader and a warrior just by looking at how he defended the massive Togukawa Army at Sanada Maru in the Osaka Campaign. At his final moment, he charged towards Tokugawa Ieyasu but was pinned down by the soldiers and died of injuries and exhaustion. He was a true oath keeper and a warrior of Lord Hideyori Toyotomi. I always wonder the alternative history like how his legacy would be if only Toyotomi won at the Osaka Campaign or he ended up joining the Tokugawa forces.
Seen a few comments saying that Benkei was in fact a Sohei and not a Samurai. While that is true and a labeling mistake on my part, he was still one of the greatest Japanese warriors to ever live. Besides that, if I were to have put Tomoe Gozen or Tachibana Ginchiyo on this list like other people are suggesting, I would still run into the same problem of "they weren't really Samurai." Either way, if a Japanese warrior fought alongside samurai in wars between samurai clans, I consider that warrior a contender for this list.
@First Last nope
@First Last The thing is, like I mention above Benkei was still a Japanese warrior who fought alongside samurai in a war between samurai. Also he entered into samurai-like retainer service under Yoshitsune which begins to blur the line between samurai and sohei. I still feel he's perfect for the list, even though I mislabeled him in the video.
Hey great content you have on your channel, i actually want to ask if you ever tought about making videos on the theme of samurai martial arts, like the schools of kenjutsu and koryu-jutsu about the art of ju-jutsu wich people often forget but was an way of training body and mind for wars. you know, often talking about war on a great scale we forget some details.
@@mat34105 That would be really cool, I even want to get into kenjutsu myself one day. But Unfortunately I am not a martial arts practitioner so I feel I may be out of my element making videos about martial arts.
@@TheShogunate well i was thinking something on the historical line of it, less on the lines of actual technique, and more about general stuff, but it is really difficult to talk about it without prior knowledge practical nor theorical. anyway keep up the videos they´re awesome
In Japan, it is said that when a human dies, he crosses the "Sanzu River" and goes to the afterlife.
Six coins are required as a ferry to cross the Sanzu River.
The six coins, which are the family crest of Yukimura Sanada, are proof that they are not afraid of death.
The conspiracy theory is Sanada clan must survive during the chaotic post sekigahara time and pre fall of Osaka castle.. Sanada clan was divided into two sides, one to osaka - toyotomi side (Yukimura) and one to edo - tokugawa side (Nobuyuki).
Futhermore, in the end whoever won the battle toyotomi or tokugawa, sanada would still survive.
This, due to many big clans that was believed could match Tokugawa fell so quickly after sekigahara, like Mori clan lost 3/4 of their fiefs, Ukita clan, Otani clan, Chosokabe clan, Ishida clan and Uesugi clan. So, maybe Sanada was in a dilemma and thus led to this decision.
@@blackmoth2595 a smart decision
Aww I'm reading while looking at his helmet
Their mon effectively says "Hey buddy, I've already paid the ferryman. Have you?"
That sounds like the River Styx of Greek Mythology where it is the river that separates the world of the living and the world of the dead. Also in their mythology, a coin is placed in the mouth of the deceased as their payment to Charon, the ferryman on the river thst takes souls to the underworld!
Man Honda Tadakatsu is literally a legend among legends. To never sustain serious injuries throughout all the wars he’s been through is almost mathematically impossible. His presence alone can no doubt change the morale on the battlefield.
But can he beat Vasco Nunez de Balboa?
Japanese history always fascinated me, but since I've played Ghost of Tsushima I can't stop watching videos about Samurai.
I cant play the game because i dont have play station but i still watch about samurai
Saaaaaaame
Sengoku jidai
@@Kodousinx That's a very interesting time period in japanese history, especially the stories of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. But I'm also interested in earlier periods, like the Kamakura period (Kamakura jidai? Not sure if that's the correct term).
I just watched the new samurai documentary/reanactment on Netflix. I think its called Age of Samurai. It goes over the rain of oda nabunaga and toyotomi hedeyoshi. Highly recommend
At this point I’m wondering if I’ll ever make it out of this Ghost of Tsushima algorithm
Don’t, embrace it!
Be glad you didn't watch that 2019 bikini presentation show video.
You definitely shouldnt try Shogun 2 Total War
@@evanc4810 once you get stuck in the shogun 2 & ghost of tsushima algorithms you'll never escape
I don't even have to watch the video to know that Honda Tadakatsu and Sanada Yukimura would be top 1 and 2 on this list.
IMO both of them not even close to how awesome Tachibana Dosetsu was
@arielquelme I agree Tachibana Dosetsu was amazing, especially considering he was struck by lightning. I think the only reason he wasn't included is this was the top generals who also fought on the battlefield. But as Dosetsu couldn't walk i can't see how he would do a lot of fighting himself. For that reason I understand why Kuroda Yoshitaka isn't on the list either.
My top 3 would be Date Masamune, and Ii Naomasa and Minamoto Yoshitsune might be tied for me.
I would have to do a time era list as well since there were drastic changes in the way battle was conducted. Also different categories like Generals, strategists, swordsman ect.
Benkei died standing on his feet. Story goes that he held off the warriors for hours and when they finally killed him with arrows he remained standing and they were afraid to approach him.
Then his buddy Yoshimetsu went full yokai and kicked my ass for straight hour
Sounds like Dian Wei defending Cao Cao at Wan Castle.
@@Bastion70 I was thinking the same. Dian Wei standing and blocking while letting Cao Cao and the rest to flee the castle. He died due to heavy bleeding sustained from multiple arrow damage.
@@shaik4122Hello Thanks for commenting made me happy to see someone else was thinking this. I've been playing KoeiWarriors games since Dynasty Warriors 3 this is pretty much where my knowledge comes from with regards to the three kingdoms period and warring states period.
Edward Newgate Last Breath
Remember to fear an old man in a profession where the young dies.
The bromance of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune is my favorite story in Japanese history. Just the stories of those 2 constantly bailing eachother out of bad situations is entertaining. Ieyasu litterally saving Masamune from Hideyoshi's wrath TWICE at great personal risk is what friendship is all about.
Miyamoto Musashi was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin. Renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels.He is considered a Kensei, a sword-saint of Japan
Sasaki kojiro was stronger he only lost because he was treated
@@nikoseufert3187 miyamoto killed him with one strike with a wooden sword stop it
He is best known for making the only recording of his own legendary acts. A book was later written based on his writings that then further embellished his supposed actions. So much about him has been called into question, it is hard to say if he actually even existed or is just a character written by someone else.
@@robertmickelberg3720 sadly this is much close to the truth yet people love their stories.
Yeah but the video talks about Samurai who fought in wars not Ronin duelists
Seeing these names on your list makes me excited to hear your opinion on Nioh 1 and 2. Great list!
I've been steadily working my way through Nioh 1 for the past year, and I love it so far. Hopefully I can get a review of it out soon, although I may try to cover some easier games first haha.
Tadakatsu > Yukimura
love that game took me 100+ hours to beat it because it was pretty hard and is pretty lengthy
Nioh 2 was a really good game. Hard AF though. Felt good when that platinum trophy popped up on my screen
@@pedroreyes7176 Same
My boy Yukimura better be number 1, I will return to you in 18 minutes!!
Heh
Boom
Nice one
I would have Shima Sakon instead of Fukushima Masanori in Sekigahara Ii Naomasa let’s Matsudaira Tadayoshi fire the first shot the vanguard charge was made by Masanori against Ukita Hideie
Yes!
Pour one out for Yukimura, he stood by my boy Toyotomi's legacy to the bitter end :(
Agreed
He’s the epitome of a samurai’s honor, he stood by his lord’s honor until the very end
many reason yukimura join toyotomi, first, he hated leyasu, cause sanada fight the tokugawa 2 times in ueda castle. second, he is married to otani yoshitsugu's daughter, otani is a close friend of ishida mitsunari and he died at sekigahara
I mean he's not the only one to stay loyal to their lord though...
Heck, I'm pretty sure he knew how pointless it was as well. He just wanted to fight and die with honor. I don't really agree with that mentality, but I can't help but respect him. I don't respect him bringing his son along for the ride.
Only recently i found this channel and I regretted not finding this sooner. Every episode of the Sengoku Jidai was here and it pumps my adrenaline to its core. One of my og favorites was Dosetsu Tachibana who was the father of Ginchiyo Tachibana. The man in his childhood cut a lightning in half and still lived and while half paralyzed he led and fought battles in Kyushu, never losing once in his life. Shingen had a list that if he were to fight someone, it would be Dosetsu Tachibana himself.
My reactions
10. Alright! Good start! He's been with Oda at the very beginning and was a veteran samurai. The legendary, Devil Shibata.
9. Ooooo! A Heian Samurai! And also one of my favorite characters from Tales of Genji!
8. Yes! One of Hideyoshi's biggest retainers alongside Kiyomasa and Mitsunari.
7. The red cladded samurai who led one of the biggest clans that served under Tokugawa, as well as a member of a clan that has deep longevity during the Sengoku Jidai.
6. I actually never knew this guy because I haven't looked much up before the Sengoku Era (aside from a bit of Heian)
5. There's the bloodthirsty bastard! Another, veteran warrior of Hideyoshi's retainers alongside Masanori and Mitsunari.
4. Second eldest of the Shimazu brothers and definitely the most deserving of his fame for his raid and ambush tactics.
3. One of (if not the greatest) samurai of the Heian period and the main protagonist of the Tales of Genji.
2. The Strongest of the East and the best Samurai of the early, Sengoku Jidai, matched only by Muneshige Tachibana. (Who I'm surprised wasn't on here, being the strongest of the West)
1. Really, who else? Almost all daimyos and samurais during the end of the Sengoku Jidai agreed that Yukimura was the greatest samurai in the land and of the Sengoku Jidai.
I stand by Sanada Yukimura is the greatest loser. He lost the most consequential battle. That's why he's famous
Oh, this is really an awesome video, your ranking exactly comprised all "three greatest tragic heroes" (labelled by the Japanese themselves) in the Japanese history, they were : Sanada Yukimura (真田幸村), Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義經) and Kusunoki Masashige (楠木正成). They all became the greatest legend in the Japanese mind.
And your other choices in some extent displayed many Sengoku fans' favorite - such like Shimazu Yoshihiro (島津義弘) who conducted a brilliant "forward retreat" in the Battle of Sekigahara that forged his immortal heroism, Honda Tadakatsu (本多忠勝) who was renowned for fierce loyalty to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Il Naomasa (井伊直政) who succeeded the Takeda clan's "Scarlet Army" (赤備え) that with his valiance and incredible leadership this military force made a great name across Japan.
Mention few more figures worthy to be named of among the greatest samurai warriors :
Tachibana Dosetsu (立花道雪) - a highly skilled, prestigious and charismatic warrior and commander who devoted to the Otomi Clan ; his abundance of military prowess and leadership would bequeath to his equally talented adopted-son Muneshige.
Tachibana Muneshige (立花宗茂) - ever served the Otomi Clan, the Toyotomi Clan and the Tokugawa Clan, with numerous deeds of valiance, loyalty and conquest. Toyotomi Hideyoshi valued him equal with Honda Tadakatsu for the ranking of the greatest samurai in contemporary era. His military career spanned from the late Sengoku Era to the Edo Period, in which he even participated the pacification of the AD 1637 Shimabara Rebellion at the age of 70 ! He's my No.1 favorite.
Magara Naotaka (真柄直隆) - who served the Asakura Clan in the Sengoku Era, very skilled in using pike.
Hijikata Toshizo (土方歳三) - a great warrior leader in the Boshin War which signalized the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Satake Yoshishige (佐竹義重) - One of the greatest enemies of Data Masamune. According to the legend, he slew 7 enemy warriors in just a moment of time, thus earned him the frightening nickname of "Oni Yoshishige" (鬼義重) ; Oni = Devil
I’m not even gonna try to read this but this is a well put together comment beyond me and I give you my like and respect
Yessss Sir Muneshige Tachibana has quickly rose to 1 of my top 5 favorites, not a lot of people talk about him and hes not that well known but he was great and should be on here just for his accomplishments at a young age
Love the detail you had. I just have a few things to say about a few.
Magara Naotaka was a master with an Odachi and bravely covered the Asakura's retreat at Anegawa. I've never heard of him being skilled with a pike/Yari.
I don't agree with Sanada Yukimura being on any greatest list. He switched lords about 7 times, something not told about him a lot. His brother used his influence to spare him after Sekigahara and he makes an agreement to stay at Mt Koya and be a monk. Which he obviously breaks, and his brother could've paid with his life. They treated him very well while he was there, with Komatsu bringing him food ect. I see him as an extremely disloyal, ingrate. Same with Shimazu Yoshihiro, a 65 year old ordering his nephew Toyohisa to pretend to be him while he, already 65 makes his escape. To me that's cowardice and extremely disgusting.
I'll admit I've read accounts that vary. I want to believe the account that Toyohisa dying before his retreat/charge was the impetus that caused it. But I've read the former account in many different sources and only a few say Toyohisa died before the charge. If it was Toyohis's decision that would change things. Especially if Yoshihiro didn't know he was doing this.
But I liked and agreed with most of your list. For Azuchi/Momoyama Ii Naomasa and his bastard son Naotaka and Date Masamune are my top 3.
@@thomascoburn5481Also he became Tokugawa Hidetada's military strategist. Obviously an extremely important rank.
Yukimura's spirit burns with the flame of justice.
Nobuyuki : Bro stop rebelling
How could you forget about Jin Sakai:((
He has no honor
@@albertonavarro8904 i played jin extreamly honorably never got a single storm never did any stealth only direct open combat story actually acknowledges that
@@Chickentaco1337 Dude there are sections in the game were you have to use stealth ...so i call bs on that.
Stardu5t to be fair, i played as honourably as i could, only doing a few assassinations only when i had to, i tried my best to be ‘samurai’ but even though i was so honourable, the story itself didn’t change in my opinion
@@stardu5t796 yeah that's the only time I would the stealth is unsatisfying and broken
I tempered my expectations but let’s say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Ya boi Yukimura is one of my all time heroes.
The modern paintings you use in these are fantastic, i never knew they existed.
99% are from L5R. Legend of the 5 Rings card game.
It was pretty cool to watch this video while playing Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, since I got to know a bit more of some of these characters in the game.
wonderful video, I've been learning so much about Japanese history ever since I've been playing Samurai warrior 5 (which helps me to know who a few o the samurai are).
I'm addicted to your channel!
Great video. I credit the game Nioh for my current interest in learning as much as I can about sengoku jedai and samurai's in general. I am thankful to that great game and thankful I found your channel.
I knew some of the names that have appeard on your list thanks to Nioh, but the others I did not know, so unfortunately I cannot make a personal top 10 list, but I will definitely do research and much reading on the samurai's on your list.
Musashi is a ronin also, so its pretty fair.
Yup, but he was the G.O.A.T
@@JosephVanlalfela the book of five rings he wrote is still talked about today which is crazy
nope not ronin
@@samurailegacy9418 so if not, whom was he serving to?
@@Mikesman1000 to become a ronin you would have to fail your lord and later on musashi fought for the tokugawa in the shimabara Rebellion he was more of a wondering Samurai rather than a ronin but i do understand why you thought he was a ronin i use to think he was
Finally I get to hear some real facts about yukimura as to what made this guy a legend. I have to say one castle holding off against a United japan and nearly killing Tokugawa, number 1 is deserving.
It was Osaka castle. Which was a huge collection of satellite castles and forts surrounding it. Far to much is made of Yukimura when there were other great warriors there as well. Kimura Shigenari for one.
So glad that Musashi wasn't in on the list. One minor correction, you said half a century(50 years) instead of 5 centuries or half a millennium (500 years) later in Masashige's case...
These videos are so well made
One Samurai I would like to bring up is Yamada Nagamasa, though not as well known in Japan, he is very well known in Thailand for fighting alongside the King of Ayutthaya (present day Thailand) against the Burmese. He along with many Christian converts and Ronin setteled in Ayutthaya and he even became appointed a Govenor because of his heroism in the war.
I love Samurai History... this channels is perfect. Keep up the great work !
1:50 "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Musashi and Kojiro said calmly.
it's crazy that most were around during the late Sengoku Jidai.
This is just making me appreciate Nioh 1 and 2 more and more. It is so underrated for its weaving history and fiction into a fun, and surprisingly educational story
I have 3 pages from what I think it's a collection of ancient and modern warriors, printed in Japan in 1878. There are 12 warriors (4 on each page), some are clearly samurai, some are warriors of ancient China. After watching your video I decided to make some research on the content of the text (in old Japanese) and I was happy to find that one of the samurai figures is Honda Tadakatsu!
I didn't know his story at all and now the number 2 greatest samurai is there, printed on one of the few pages I managed to have! Thank you for letting me know about him!
thank you for bringing me here Nioh and thank you for creating this video Shogunate.
When Miyamoto showed up at the battle he probably got bored and fell asleep in the shade somewhere, grumbling to himself about all the noise.
I have thought long and deeply about this strategy and reached the conclusion that the only way to beat Miyamoto would be to show up to a duel without a sword BUT to act like you have an invisible sword.
Even in Nioh 1, Sanada Yukimura remains as the great warrior he is ❤️
Some names of Samurai I won't forget ever :
1) Oda Nobunaga
2) Akechi Mitsuhide
3) Date Masamune
4) Date Shigezane
5) Katakura Kojuro
6) Sanada Yukimura
7) Sanada Nobuyuki
8) Sanada Masayuki
9) Takeda Shingen
10) Uesugi Kenshin
11) Toyotomi Hideyoshi
12) Tokugawa Iyeasu
13) Ishida Mitsunari
14) Otani Yoshitsugu
15) Kato Kiyomasa
16) Maeda Toshiee
17) Toramatsu
18) Kakizaki Kageie
19) Date Teramune
20) Shima Sakon
21) Honda Tadakatsu
22) Tadatsugu
23) Kagetsugu
24) Kanestsugu
I've heard all these names in an otome game "Samurai love ballad party" best samurai romance game. We can learn a lot of Japanese history in that. Slbp fans hit the like button.....
I am neecroposting, but I know you haven't played Nioh because you didnt include satan (aka Tachibana Muneshige) on this list
@@Yuorai yess, I haven't played that.
Every time I watch these videos I want to play samurai warriors
I often with Mori Katsunaga is incredibly underrated specifically with his actions at Osaka castle
As much as I like Yukimura, there is something wrong with what you mentioned. He literally didn't join the campaign against Korea. He is in the Japanese isle at that time.
There are only three noticeable battles for Yukimura: The siege of Odawara at 1590, the siege of Ueda at 1600, and the two sieges of Osaka at 1614 and 1615. That is why to this day, there are still people call him "overrated". He is still a true warrior with a phenomenal story, and it has been largely recognized, so it is probably fair to put him at the top of your list. But considering the lack of battles he participated in, he is no way near the best samurai in Japan history for me.
Keep up the good work!
Agreed, as much as I also like Yukimura- I think his reputation proceeds him as many Generals of Ieyasu, who gave good word of mouth. Reminds me similar to Guan Yu and Cao Cao who Cao Cao highly regarded.
I'm glad somebody else recognized his overratedness - I thought I was the only one
I never knew anything about this is interesting and I plan on learning a lot more
Brought here because of Nioh. Damn, that game is near perfect when it comes to historical figures.
Nice video!!
I was kinda shocked when Tadakatsu showed up second only to be astonished that I forgot the "Hinamoto ichi no tsuwamono nari". Great video man
You know verry well. However, Hinamoto→Hinomoto(it means ancient Japan).
@@NANA-so2xj thanks. Began from Samurai Warriors series to learning most of the Samurais. Shame no Muneshige tho.
@@NANA-so2xj
Hinomoto means base of the Sun (base as in French "socle", or the lower part of a mountain).
"Musashi is the greatest samurai duelist of all time.." Hmm.. I reckon Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, Bokuden, Itto Ittosai and others would probably take exception to that. Most famous outside Japan for sure though.
He's deffs one of the top 3 greatest duelests in Japan. And also depends on Era.
That said he had a natural advantage. Most likely ambidextrous. And he learned jutte jutsu early from his family and adapted it to wakizashi forms.
The jitte/jutte are basically the samurai version of a sai. But only one prong.
Well he used dual swords which is nowhere near as easy as it looks in a sword duel. Clearly he had talent.
@@bmxriderforlife1234 I named 3 others who were considered superior in Musashi's day, and after. You can add Ono Tadaaki, Yagyu Munenori, Hyogonosuke and Jubei, Marume Kurando and plenty of others. So no, not even top 3.
Munisai's jitte is not the same as jutte - the jitte is a knife with a cross guard, often used in conjunction with a sword.. ie dual wielded. Likely the source of Musashi's one-handed sword use.
@@galanakagalactus903 there is not a single contemporaneous record of him using two swords. According to all historical records he used a single sword, often one-handed.
@@Finny1996 Yes their is. The fact Musashi dual wielded is a fact not an opinion, confirmed by the man himself. So unless the historical record you are referring to was from Musashi then it has zero credibility. Everyone knows Musashi scholar not just a swordsman. Niten Ichi-ryū basically meant school of two heavens/swords as one and if you're gonna ask what Niten Ichi-ryū is then that proves my point. I know you might not like the guy but credit where it's due. He was could dual wield and had dual wielding techniques.
I just appreciated the fact, that at least three of these names were not featured in Samurai Warriors. Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't only know of Benkai and Minimoto from the Genji series.
I'm so glad Yoshitsune made here and so high up.
It often feels like he gets overlooked.
He was so good his own brother was so afraid and jealous of him
Great content! Very much enjoyed
This is the best new channel I have discovered.
Wow Shimazu Yoshihiro lived a long life considering how battle ridden he was, to live into your 80s now is a good life let alone in a time of constant bloody war. The man was in his 60s during when he was fighting in the Imjin War? Damn my respect for Shimazu clan has just increased because of this.
And foolish Mitsunari think he is better than Yoshihiro. Everyone knows Western army is doomed
Great list, great episode!
Date masamume
One of his famous words is as follows.
"If you are too benevolent, you become weak. If you are too righteous, you will be hard. If you are too polite, you will flatter. If you are too wise, you will tell lies. If you are too trusting, you will suffer loss."
Although he had some ambitions, he had always been a realist.
It is said that if Date Masamune had been born a few decades earlier, he would have taken the throne.
What do yo think about Hattori Hanzo?
P/D: This channel is awesome!! I'll subscribe
Not a Samurai. He was Shinobi but probably as skilled as most with a spear
Hatori hanzo is ninja not samurai...but he became a samurai
There's a video in this Channel about Ninjas, they weren't what Hollywood and 20 Century movies showed us, so... If he was high class person he was a Bushi (Samurai)
It's a pity that Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who was instrumental in overthrowing the Taira clan, was forced to commit suicide because his brother Yoritomo considered him dangerous.
Musashi also fought in the Shimabara rebellion and possibly fought on the side Toyotomi Hideyori in both the summer and winter campaigns. So that would mean he would have participated in 3 battles. There is only confirmation of his participation in the Shimabara rebellion, but enough sources suggest that he participated in the other 2 battles that it would not be unreasonable to assume that he participated in those as well.
Yes buh he was a ronin most of his life which wouldn’t really make sense to put him on here especially when almost all of these guys died well serving as samurai
Hes just a swordsman enough..not a truly Samurai
It's interesting that who many would consider the greatest Knight; William Marshall and your choice of Greatest Samurai both spent their youths as hostages.
Legend says, whenever Tadakatsu Honda enter the battle..
Astronomia start playing as BGM
Anime=cringe
You don’t even speak Japanese American
damn ! even their names scream badass when you pronounce them
my personal favourite is Honda Tadakatsu. great video !
One sad common thing I see in the samurai is the lord they fight for eventually betray them.
There is honor...unless someone stronger comes along
And plus you pronounce the words perfectly
These are great! Learning quite a bit about the Samurai. I was wondering where you find some of the portrait artwork you have shown it's really well done, Thanks!
A lot of the portraits are from the Nobunaga's Ambition series made by Koei! They are fantastic Samurai Strategy games!
@@TheShogunate Thanks!
Something about Benkei, I heard from one source that he wandered Kyoto killing samurai not because he thought them unworthy, but because he simply wanted one hundred blades, as it seemed like everyone of note had a hundred of something.
Muneshige Tachibana and Motoharu Kikkawa?
And do a list for strategists as well so many get their recognition
Definitely!
takenaka hanbei would be in the list i bet
Minamoto yoshinaka would be on that list
Actually I knew it all of this great samurai by playing the game "Samurai warriors 2" and it was very accurate and amazing game.
And have part when you always face with "Tadakatsu Honda" play an special soundtrack for him.
I love samura warriors 2
"Never stray from the way." - Miyamoto Musashi
Came here after watching Sanada maru and Dokuganryu Masamune. Really good list. It's missing Hijikata though.
Hot damn that was awesome!
If only these legends still existed T__T I knew every Warrior you listed.. PROUD
All warriors in The World who faught for their land and proud are Legendary ❤️❤️ Biggest Respect for them ❤️❤️
all warriors? who? no names just troll lol
Excelente canal!!!GRACIAS!.
A great video, thanks for doing it.
I was surprised that you was so enthusiastic about introducing Japanese warlords👍👍👍
I am very grateful and grateful as a Japanese😃😃 Thank you
The TAKEDA is not mentioned here . They are great Samurai serving the Emperor
I believe the intention of this video refers to individual warriors, not clans or clan armies.
Yamagata Masakage is one of the best under Takeda, and he should be mentioned
Bruh Sanada Yukimura was a daimyo of Takeda Shingen
@@MinervianGames Shingen died on 1573 Yukimura was only 6 years old then
@@MinervianGames Yeah, you're thinking of his father, Masayuki Sanada, as well as Yukimura's Uncles and grandfather, who served the Takeda.
Nice video as always and totally agree with your list although you should probably add honorable mention like shinmo sakon and magara notoka and fuma ..... keep up the good work 👍
Might make a list about top samurai strategists, then I can give Shima Sakon proper recognition!
Well my all time favorite is still Otani Yoshitsugu (or Gyobu), though i get why he didnt make it i to this video. He didn't fight in too many battles since he became ill and later blind and incapable of even standing, but his friendship with Ishida is a great one. Together with him in top Five would be Ishida Mitsunari, Torii Mototoda, Tomoe Gozen and Saito Musashibo Benkei.
Tomoe the mysterious one.
Otani Yoshitsugu is definitely worthy of respect, which he did receive from his peers. He was also influential during the invasion of Korea.
Ishida Mitsunari on the other hand definitely doesn't deserve to make the list. In fact one of the biggest reasons Tokugawa won the Sekigahara campaign was that so many daimyo did not respect Ishida Mitsunari, viewing him as a glorified accountant rather than a capable samurai. While Mitsunari's rise to power is impressive in it's own right, his mismanagement of it and resultant fall is among the most disastrous in samurai history.
@@Naraku-no-Hana-WE Well i get where you are coming from. Its true that Ishida was more of a politican than a samurai, but i still prefer his resolve and what he fought for. He also wasnt smurai on inside since he had this rather naive approach where he wanted to befriend all the lords, being soft on them, not earning their trust or loyalty (Wich showed during the battle of sekigahara since most of his allied lords betrayed him and converted to Ieyasu or just didnt do anything).
I can also see that Japan would maybe fall back to the old Toyotomi style of ruling or would break up even more if Mitsunari were to win. Still he tried to do the right thing by helping Hideyori who was the "rightfull" heir and his approach, if not that of the standart samurai, was at least peacefull, not like Tokugawa who killed off half of his family just to achieve what he did.
On pair with Otani Yoshitsugu would be Admiral Yi Sun Shin, but since this was video about Japan, i did not include him there.
Based on how Extra Credits series on the Segoku Jidai made him sound I as expecting Hattori Hanzō to be somewhere on the list. I enjoyed learning about the samurai on this list and their exploits. Thanks.
Hanzo was a shinobi, not a samurai
@@xAssassin24 He was both.
@@TheYaji1988 Debatable. Most likely he was in actuality a shinobi and only listed as a "samurai from the remote province of Iga" for the sake of appearances. It's also possible he was the opposite, a samurai that employed ninja from his home province. Keep in mind the ninja only revealed themselves to the most powerful lords of the land until after the Boshin war. While Iga province did in fact have both samurai and ninja, it is extremely unlikely that there were ever members of samurai clans that also trained in ninjutsu.
Extra Credits are a bunch of ideologues, about as credible as a homeless man living under a bridge.
Im surprised that Uesugi Kenshin, Masakage Yamagata, Hojo Tsunashige, Tachibana Dosetsu, Tachibana Muneshige, Kosaka Masanobu, or even Sakon Shima made the list. Just as a side note, Ii Naomasa’s Red Cavalry was a direct copy of its predecessor, the Takeda Red Cavalry, led by Masakage Yamagata, who was known to be one of Takeda Shingen’s most able generals. Either way, cool list hope to see more content!
what about "The Greatest Spearman" Toshiie Maeda. Oda Nobunaga spoke highly of him cause of his skill and prowess with spear.
Agree. correct me if i'm wrong. Maeda Toshiie is also her love rival hideyoshi when fighting over nene. but she preferred hideyoshi in the end😂
@@Zee200 well im glad he lost to Hideyoshi cause his wife, Matsu, was an excellent lady to have. Smart and brave.
@@Zee200hideyoshi and toshiie are rivals but close friends since they were kids. by nobunaga, hideyoshi are called "saru" means monkey, while toshiie are called "inu" means dog. monkey and dog are always rival in japan lore. when hideyoshi becomes kampaku, toshiie becomes dainagon, or second in command. these guys often meet eye to eye to discuss strategy. maeda matsu and nene are also close and have political powers on their own
I use his full set in Nioh 2 love that guy
Last March 2020, it was shown on TV program hosted by the Mazai due of Ohta and Tanaka of Bakusho Mondai that a survey covering 100,000 people in Japan to rank top samurai during Sengoku period. Below was the ranking. In the said program, there was small commentary of the positive attributes of each lord and why they were positively viewed: Oda- forward looking and his tolerance ti the europeans; Uesugi and Sadada - I think their pure samurai spirit or something on that direction, Date - military skills and the way he built his town. Of the ranking where Uesugi was above Takeda, Ohta san made a comment saying he thought and probably most people thought Takeda was above.
1. Oda Nobunaga
2. Uesugi Kenshin
3. Date Masamune
4. Sanada Yukimura
5. Tokugawa Ieyasu
6. Toyotomi Hideyoshi
7. Takeda Shingen
8. Kuroda Kanbei
9. Akemichi Mitsuhide
10. Ishida Mistunari
Amazing video
Amazing the relatively long average lifespans of these guys, considering their profession.
Wow.. this is awesome.. Now I wanna play more Samurai Warriors than ever.. Same with Genji Dawn of the Samurai and Days of the Blade..
I love first Genji but was soooo disappointed in the second. Wish they'd make a third or remake of first
@@andyandbee i love both games of Genji.. I've played them now even though it is 4 years later now but yeah. I also played all three games of Kessen too..
@androsthewarriorhighalpha cool. There was a major battle in the second Genji that you couldn't take a break and save or restock items, and when I defeated one of the major enemies and was so glad I beat it, there turned out to be more fighting and I still couldn't save. That's when I gave up on it. I actually would love to finish it, but it was when I first got a Ps3 and I had other games I wanted to play. I still have both so I'll probably replay it.
I've always wanted to try Kessen bc I love strategy games but I couldn't tell if it was fictional characters or historical
@@androsthewarriorhighalpha oh, i forgot to say I still play dawn of the samurai bc i still consider it one of the best games ever, along with Samurai Warriors and Nobunaga's ambition series
@@andyandbee It actually had historical characters.. In Kessen 2 it was the different version of Dynasty Warriors.. While Kessen 1 and Kessen 3 were all about Tokugawa and Nobunaga they look very different from their Samurai Warriors counterparts..
10. Yasuke: His life is so fascinating, I just wanna mention him. His bravery and loyalty deserve to recognize. Is he a samurai? I definetely count him as.
9.Hojo Tsunashige: Yellow warrior of Hojo. How he hold Kawagoe castle is so heroic.
8.Kaihime: I wanna add one female warrior. Her bravery on Oshi castle is worth to mention. She basically tarnished Ishida Mitsunari's reputation forever.
7.Murakami Yoshikiyo: Kenshin's fierce warrior. He is basically a Takeda slayer.
6.Ii Naomasa: Red devil of Tokugawa. Another fierce warrior.
5.Torii Mototada: Basically Tokugawa owe everything to him. His last stand in Fushimi Castle is a legend.
4.Yamagata Masakage, Naito Masatoyo, Baba Nobufusa: I can't seperate these Takeda trio. My favorite is Nobufusa, how he hold his ground and saved Katsuyori despite his quarrel with him during Nagashino is a brave act. Yamagata and Naito are another Takeda legends.
3.Sanada Yukimura: Most popular choice, I can't add anything but a little overrated I think.
2.Honda Tadakatsu: Tokugawa's strongest weapon, the battles he fought, noone could reach him.
1.Maeda Keiji and Hattori Hanzo: My all time favorite Samurai Warriors. Keiji's bravery and Hanzo loyalty are what made them my favorites.
Very interesting!
Kaihime was a very incredible warrior, it would be interesting a video only with samurai women.
One of my favorites is Yoshioka Myorinni, she defended her castle against Shimazu clan attacks 16 times.
Yeah I was a little shocked there were no Hojo, Uesugi, or Takeda clan samurai in the video. While you don't necessarily need one from each clan, someone should have made the list.
If we're talking female samurai there are two names that have to be mentioned. Gozen Tomoe, easily the most famous and skilled female samurai that we know; and Tachibana Ginchiyo, who may not have been a heroic warrior with battle accomplishments but was the only female to rule as a sengoku-era daimyo for a period of time. Mind you the later is not enough of an accomplishment to make the list, but Tomoe could be considered.
As mentioned in a previous comment, Hattori Hanzo most likely was not actually of the samurai class. But even if he was we know little of his accomplishments outside of safely guiding Tokugawa Ieyasu away from the Akechi ambush.
Yasuke?? you f ing kidding me? we don't know if he was even trained to fight. He was just Nobunaga's exotic pet weapons carrier.
Kato kiyomasa’s blue armour is awesome.
I want become a great samurai like heihachiro Togo..my favorite samurai ..he live in Philippines .in general Santos city.mindanao..hes son live in mindanao Mr Jerry Togo..
Even though its a heroic death for yukimura in the end the winners of this war where the Sanada clan because Masayuki ordered his two sons to serve either side with Nobuyuki on Tokugawa and Yukimura on Toyotomi. Why Yukimura chose to be with the losing side is because if the Toyotomi won the war they would gain immense reputation and when the Tokugawa won they retained their lands.
Actually their wives were the key which one choose which side. Yukimura married with Otani Yoshitsugu's daughter adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobuyuki married with Honda Tadakatsu's daughter adopted by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
I was hoping to see Shima Sakon here, as people say he was too good to serve Mitsunari but still stayed with him until the end
Definitely someone I want to put on a top strategists list!
You should do a video on their swords or weapons these warriors used
Up!
Musashi wasn't just at Sekigahara, we also have records of his participation in the Osaka campaign from "Nitenki" but we don't have clear details other than he distinguished himself on the battlefield. I agree that ,because we don't have a clear picture of Musashi's actions in the 6 battles he fought and he was primarily a duelist, he doesn't belong on the list.
being a fan of samurai warriors, I guess number 1 right . Great video
This is so interesting, I see sekiro got inspiration from some elements presented in this video
Yeah the 7 Spears if Hideyoshi in particular
Some people don't believe that Musashi actually participated in the Sekigahara battle. I also find it highly unlikely to survive the slaughter after the battle.
Fascinating material I grew up learning about them because my grandfather killed a alot if them in ww2. He also said they were the meanest warriors because of thier Samurai doctrines, no fear of death. I always loved watching Samurai flix as a kid. Thier purpose is to serve thier master as warriors and die if need b
I would like to see more on the 2 other members of the heavenly kings of the Tokugawa - Sakakibara Yasumasa and Sakai Tadatsugu. It seems these two often are overshadowed by the other 2 : Ii Naomasa and Honda Tadakatsu for obvious reasons I'm sure. But I think the other 2 must have some interesting backgrounds and stories as well
Good, Tom Cruise isnt on the list.
LAST SAMURAI.
👍 __ 🤣 haaahaaahaaahaaa @ Tom Cruise 🤪
He was the number one in the video.
If Yoshitsune had lived, the Kamakura Shogunate might have been more solid.
However, the Kamakura Shogunate lasted for a long time because the Hojo clan, which took over the real power from the Minamoto clan, was capable.
Another great video again like the Leaders video I agree with all your choices, maybe have Naomas in Yoshihiro's place other than that great choices. Only one mistake I noticed one of the Naomasa Ii pics is actually his son Naotaka. Yukimura as number 1 I expected would have been shocked if he wasn't and Tadakatsu number 2 is justified.
some worthy adds could have been Nobuharu (Nobufusa) Baba another reported to have not been injured in battle until his untimely death at Nagashino. I guess Kojiro Sasaki may have been in the same boat as Musashi I don't know.
Amazing list n I love the way you grade these samurai!!
Yukimura's legacy always fascinates me. He was born into a smaller clan compared to other Major ones during the Sengoku Period. He could just easily switch to the Tokugawa side like his brother Nobuyuki Sanada but he remained loyal to his friends and formal allies which led him to his demise. But it is without a doubt that Yukimura was brave, wise and strong as a leader and a warrior just by looking at how he defended the massive Togukawa Army at Sanada Maru in the Osaka Campaign. At his final moment, he charged towards Tokugawa Ieyasu but was pinned down by the soldiers and died of injuries and exhaustion. He was a true oath keeper and a warrior of Lord Hideyori Toyotomi. I always wonder the alternative history like how his legacy would be if only Toyotomi won at the Osaka Campaign or he ended up joining the Tokugawa forces.