We made it, huh?
Yes.
It's our long-awaited return
to Osaka.
I've finally returned.
Osaka's always so full of life.
Don't go too far, okay?
Lord Keiji!
Long time no see!
What a surprise! You guys been all right?
Lord Keiji must know a lot of people.
They all seem to be shady, though.
I see a lot of vagabond samurai.
Then the Toyotomi clan really is...
You're the critter from back then!
Sorry if my pet caused you any trouble!
I knew it.
Tsukimaru, you bad boy...
It's been a while, Lady Kai.
We've been expecting you, Lord Yukimura.
And the walking fashion show over there must be Keiji Maeda, yes?
Guess I'm more famous than I thought.
Lord Hideyori's waiting.
I'll take you to him.
What a nice breeze.
I brought them, Lord Hideyori.
So that's...
My father always used to say that Mitsunari was the brains,
and Yukimura was the brawn.
Lord Hideyoshi said that?
You're more handsome than I expected.
Keiji...
Your uncle, Toshiie,
took care of me a lot when I was younger.
The arrival of famous warriors like yourselves should raise morale within the castle.
Is war upon us?
That's for the wind to decide.
Soon, a mighty wind will blow from the east,
in a bid to remove all obstacles from its path.
However, I don't intend to let the wind have its way.
I have to say I quite like that man.
How about you?
I believe he has a firm resolve.
When you're traveling around the country, it really hits you.
Even dogs by the wayside think the Tokugawa clan has the nation in its grasp.
And despite all of that, Hideyori wants to stand up to them.
He's a real daredevil.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?
Indeed.
My uncle was always Hideyoshi's right-hand man.
Lord Toshiie Maeda?
Yeah.
Before, didn't you say that you would live for your beliefs?
Yes.
Then maybe I should follow in my uncle's footsteps
and have one last party by Hideyori's side.
Lord Mitsunari,
I have returned to Osaka.
Where are you headed, Lord Yukimura?
To take a look around the castle.
I'll accompany you.
No, you should get some rest.
It was a long journey from Kudoyama to here.
You must be tired.
Not at all. I want to accompany you.
If you insist.
Don't push yourself, though.
I'll follow you anywhere.
I'm your ninja, after all.
Edo Castle
So...
What kind of man was Hideyori Toyotomi?
Well, he was an enigma.
What goes through his mind is a total mystery.
But I couldn't help but be awed by him.
I felt he was truly a man fit to lead the Toyotomi clan.
I cannot wait for our meeting.
Yukimura went to Osaka.
I could not stop him.
This time, we might have to prepare for the worst.
There's no turning back, is there?
All Yukimura and I can do is see how far the paths we've chosen take us.
Lord Nobuyuki...
No matter what happens,
I shall help you shoulder your burden!
Ina...
A Few Days Later
Be careful, and have a safe journey.
Open the gates!
Lord Kiyomasa...
Lord Masanori!
Please let us serve you!
Please use our lives for the Toyotomi clan's betterment!
It's too late for that!
After siding with Ieyasu, how dare you ingrates say that?!
We can't trust you!
Get out of here!
Yeah, leave!
I'll allow it.
Kiyomasa, Masanori,
come with me.
Yes, my lord!
Hideyori Toyotomi made his way to Nijo Castle, in Kyoto,
where he was to meet Ieyasu Tokugawa.
Nijo Castle
Lord Hideyori Toyotomi is here.
What's the meaning of this?
Is there a problem?
Shouldn't the seat of honor be reserved for Lord Hideyori?
You dare to look down on the Toyotomi clan?
I'll be fine here.
It's been too long.
Thanks to your efforts,
it looks like the country's finally calmed down.
You did a fine job of carrying the torch my late father left behind.
You humble me.
But for a man trying to create a peaceful world,
it sure seems as though you love warfare.
Me? A warmonger?
You could not be further from the truth.
Really?
With your powers,
you should have been able to prevent the Battle of Sekigahara.
I didn't want to take that step, but to protect the Toyotomi clan's world, I had to.
If you say so.
Speaking of warfare,
I hear vagabond samurai from across the nation are gathering at Osaka Castle.
Rumor says you're preparing for war against the Tokugawa clan.
I'm only helping the samurai who lost their masters at Sekigahara.
Ignore them, and the voices opposing the Tokugawa clan would only grow louder.
You should actually be grateful to me.
Is it true that Yukimura Sanada is now at Osaka Castle?
Yes... Around thirty of them, I'd say.
Yukimura is a famous man.
There are plenty who wish to use his name to make a lot of money.
And there's no way to tell which is the real one.
Lord Hidetada,
if you don't mind, could you come identify him for us?
Regardless of how it happened,
that rumor of your taking up arms is, in itself, a cause of unrest.
In order to quell that rumor,
I'd like you to leave Osaka Castle
and move to Edo Castle.
I won't go to Edo.
I don't like the place.
Besides, if I left, the women in Osaka Castle would be saddened.
What are you—
If you wish to live with me that badly,
why not come to Osaka instead?
You're a retired man, now that you've relinquished the post of shogun.
Why don't we pass our days playing shogi?
Unfortunately, I don't care much for Osaka myself.
Furthermore, Hidetada is inexperienced.
And the constructions around Edo Castle are yet to be completed.
I hear Edo's prospering,
and that the castle grows bigger by the day.
It sounds almost like the Osaka Castle that my father built.
Do you wish to make Edo the new political center?
If so, you need only come out and say it...
"Please give us the nation."
If I do, will you hand it over?
No, I won't.
Who does that brat think he is?
That mocking attitude of his was outrageous!
Please calm down.
Father,
we have no choice but to force the Toyotomi clan to yield!
Lord Hidetada, that's...
You're right.
Father...
Takatora,
send orders to feudal lords across the country at once!
Right away, sir.
Are you sure, my lord?
Isn't this a bit premature—
We cannot afford to wait!
Nobuyuki, didn't you say before
that Lord Hideyori was a man fit to lead the Toyotomi clan?
Yes.
Indeed he is.
In fact, he's more than that.
He could very well stand atop this entire nation.
He has all the qualities of a leader, including the power to attract people.
I see he has inherited Lord Hideyoshi's immense charisma.
He is too dangerous to be left alone.
That he would make you feel so threatened...
Hideyori is a terrifying man.
Even if Lord Hideyori himself doesn't want to go to war,
people who once served the Toyotomi clan,
and those who oppose the Tokugawa clan, will call him their rightful lord and master,
and go to Osaka Castle.
Apparently, tens of thousands of soldiers have already gathered at Osaka.
Are you saying that if we don't do something,
the country will be engulfed in war and, before long, return to chaos?
That we have not a moment to lose?
Exactly.
The Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans, allies for so long, can stand together no more?
Lord Hideyori should know that better than anyone.
Yonezawa Castle
So it has come to this. The Tokugawa want to wipe out the Toyotomi clan.
Yukimura...
Hey!
What?
Perfect timing.
Care for a drink?
Join us, Yukimura!
A drink tastes best when shared with a group.
Yukimura, we...
We've been wanting to talk to you.
You guys must've needed balls of steel to come back here.
We never once considered ourselves as having left the Toyotomi clan!
We all merely walked down the path we believed in.
I understand.
I really do,
and so does Lord Mitsunari.
Mitsunari...
Sure is getting gloomy around here.
Well, drink up!
With this, we've swallowed all our regrets and tears.
Why don't we share a cup to signify our alliance now?
The Toyotomi clan received a letter from the Tokugawa.
It offered them the choice to either have Hideyori move to Edo Castle
or for the entire Toyotomi clan to leave Osaka and accept a change of domain,
the cruelest of choices.
They've gotta be kidding!
Who in their right minds would accept that?
That's right!
We must reject it!
If we refuse to comply with either one, the Tokugawa clan will attack Osaka.
Bring it on, I say!
Osaka Castle is the finest in all the land, built by Lord Hideyoshi himself.
Its defenses are perfect.
Lord Hideyori,
we are all prepared for war!
Yukimura...
Yes, sir.
What do you think?
If it were me, I would attack from the south.
I took a look around the castle from an attacker's perspective.
Yes, Osaka Castle is surrounded by rivers on three sides,
and it does have multiple lines of defense,
making it hard to fell.
However, if the outer wall were breached,
the sheer size of the outermost enclosure
makes it susceptible to being overrun by a large number of enemy troops.
What?
If I were to attack this castle,
I would breach the wall on the southern side, where there's no moat,
and then march to the opposite side in one fell swoop.
This may be the finest castle in the country,
but we don't stand a chance if they breach that wall.
Then what should we do?
Leave it to me.
This is pretty large in scale.
Is this what I think it is?
Yes.
I'm building a fortress.
A detached bailey, huh?
With this, we can hold off the enemy.
I've never seen one so big.
Guess we'll have to call it "Sanada Maru."
The Sanada Maru, you say?
A massive bailey that's on a par with the main keep's defenses.
What else could we call it but the "Sanada Maru"?
Sounds good to me!
Yeah, it's the Sanada Maru.
Did you hear that? They said, "Sanada Maru."
Let's send the Tokugawa clan packing with this.
We won't let anyone through!
No matter how big an army attacks,
let's defend Lord Hideyoshi's castle to the last.
Yes!
I can't wait for Sanada Maru to be complete.
The Sanada Maru...
Following Ieyasu's order to attack Osaka,
feudal lords from all over the country headed into battle.
Ieyasu himself departed Edo, massive army in tow.
While marching toward Osaka,
the Tokugawa army defeated the Toyotomi forces in various skirmishes.
And finally,
Tokugawa forces, approximately 200,000 strong,
surrounded Osaka Castle.
On the other hand, the Toyotomi army numbered fewer than 100,000.
The Toyotomi clan might be trying to see the continuation of Hideyoshi's dream.
But unfortunately for them, they will never have that dream again.
Lord Hideyori can be pretty classy, huh?
The colors of the armor he gave us
make me feel like I'm back at Ueda Castle.
In the past,
the Sanada clan soldiers fought bravely in the face of death.
And on this day, in Osaka Castle,
their spirit revives along with Yukimura.
Yukimura...
Episode 9
The Osaka Tempest
Sengoku Musou High School
9th Period
I made lunch, Lord Nobuyuki.
Thanks as always, Ina.
Feel free to dig in, Yukimura, Kunoichi.
Thank you very much.
Wow!
Amazing!
Guys with girlfriends sure have it good.
Now, dig in!
I packed it to the brim with healthy stuff!
That actually looks unhealthy instead.
To Be Continued
Next Episode
The next battle is the Siege of Osaka's first chapter.
It won't give an inch, even if the Earth crumbles around it.
Capable of defending against thousands of soldiers,
its name is the Sanada Maru.
Next time: "Fortress Beyond Compare."
Episode Ten Fortress Beyond Compare