Top 10 Greatest Samurai Warriors

ever since I put out my video ranking the top 10 greatest samurai leaders I've wanted to come back to do another top 10 list finally I decided that time to be right now so this time I wanted to a countdown of the greatest samurai warriors as opposed to my last list these samurai are not necessarily the leaders but rather the fighters those who fought in the frontlines of major battles that helped shape the history of Japan now a bit different from my previous list the way I'm going to go about ranking these samurai is by taking into account a few different things this includes their renowned for being a skilled warrior how many battles they actually fought in and of course how stories of their exploits have gone on to be remembered by people in Japan to this day taking all of these facts into account I will then use my personal judgement to rank them accordingly just like my last top 10 this is not a list necessarily saying who would defeat who in battle instead this is just a comparative ranking using the factors I just mentioned of course you may have an entirely different list than me perhaps using figures that I left out and that's great if you do put it in the comments section because I always love to see what you guys think also very important I just want to say that in this list I am NOT going to include the greatest summer I do a list Miyamoto Musashi and the reason for that is that I do not think it is fair to compare him to many of the other samurai we are looking at the samurai we are examining our samurai who actually fought in wars and while Musashi is said to have been at the Battle of Sekigahara we do not know much of his exploits at Secchia Hara and on top of that being in one battle doesn't cut it so for fairness sake I've decided to remove Musashi entirely from my consideration Musashi is the greatest samurai do list of all time I am NOT contesting that but he's not necessarily the greatest samurai warrior so with that all out of the way let's dive in starting things off with number 10 shibata katsuie a veteran ODA clan retainer with a stern yet fiery attitude katsu yeh served in an extensive career under Anagha as he would see action over a multitude of conflicts in time becoming one of Nobunaga's most trusted commanders some of the major engagements in which he fought included the Battle of okehazama the siege of Nagashima the siege of o'donneii the Battle of nagashi no and the Battle of Terror Ogawa after the death of his Lord Nobunaga he would come to clash with a Shiba Hideyoshi at the Battle of Shizuka taki in which he would make his last stand eventually choosing to take his own life rather than die at the hands of Hideyoshi this last act saw him kill his wife along with other members of their household before lighting his castle on fire and committing seppuku he would later be remembered as a devil or demon of war number nine Saito Musashi Bo Benkei living a wild and adventurous life the samurai known as Benkei is remembered to have been a man of great strength initially he was seen to have taken the life of a warrior monk becoming skilled in the usage of the naginata polearm later it is said he wandered Kyoto defeating and taking the swords from samurai he deemed unworthy to carry a blade eventually he met his match against a young skilled samurai named minamoto no yoshitsune this would cause Benkei to eventually pledge his loyalty to him the two would fight side by side during the climactic a war where pinky is said to have exhibited his raw strength and martial prowess to slay hundreds of men although that number is most likely a romanticized exaggeration in the end Yoshi soon it would be betrayed by his kin the soon-to-be Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo causing him and banking to become outlaws Benkei would make a heroic last stand at the Khurram Ogawa defending Yoshitsune against waves of incoming enemies would eventually resort to using arrows to finally kill him number eight Fukushima Masanori seeing his first action fighting under hashiba Hideyoshi during his Western campaign against the Marty clan Masanori would rise to become one of the most ferocious fighters of his time he would become well known for his lust to seize the honor of drawing first blood in combat often coming to lead Vanguard infantry units into battle after the Battle of Shizuka taki he would become known as one of the seven spheres of Shizuka taki a group of seven bodyguards of Hideyoshi who displayed exemplary service in that conflict most of whom would end up becoming dumb yo in their own right he would in time see extensive action throughout the failed invasion of Korea and later lead the Tokugawa Vanguard at the Battle of Sekigahara although the honor of drawing first blood in that battle would be robbed from him by our next entry number 7 ye na masa a Tokugawa retainer now masa made a name for himself during the Battle of Komachi and nock Akutan where he commanded a unit of matchlock armed soldiers who defeat a Toyotomi force under akkada zu Naoki after which his efforts would even become praised by Hideyoshi who was his enemy at the time now masa would come to famously wear red armor and lead a unit of red clad warriors known as the Red Devils who became both revered and feared later he was the extensive action during the brutal siege of Odawara meeting a breakthrough of the Hojo positions at Tsukiji Hara he became angered at the former toyotomi loyalists Fukushima Masanori was selected to lead the Tokugawa Vanguard insisting that the honor should go to a veteran to Google retainer like himself this caused him to instead break away before the battle was joined as he and his Red Devils charged past Masanori to clash with the enemy before anyone else could his intensity can be seen as unrivaled at the time even pushing in deep against the Shimazu lines where he would be shot by Shimazu Gunners although he would survive the battle he would die roughly a year and a half later from the injuries he sustained at Sakuya Hara number six kusunoki massa she gave during the waning years of the Kamakura Shogunate when the emperor go-daigo wish to return to ultimate power he attracted a group of disheartened samurai who valued loyalty to the Emperor over loyalty to the Shogun one such samurai was Kusanagi Musashi initially being heavily outnumbered by Shogunate forces Musashi Gate would claim impressive victories by utilizing guerilla warfare like tactics to defeat his larger foes this in turn want him much prestige in the eyes of the emperor in time the Imperial loyalists would overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate assuring in a new period of imperial authority although it would be short-lived as emperor go-daigo immediately began alienating the very same samurai who had just fought in his name through all of this Musashi Gate remained loyal even up to the point when a new samurai army under the command of a shikaka takauji was on the verge of marching on Kyoto to tear down the re empowered Emperor masterji gate would try to convince go daigo to flee Kyoto in aims to strike out against takauji at a later date yet ultimately Musashi Gate would be forced to Sally out with a small army to make a final stand against the Ashikaga force at mean--it Ogawa masa XI Guay would fight bitterly to the end but ultimately be crushed roughly half a century later following the Beauchene war when the emperor was once again restored the memory of Kusanagi Musashi gate would return as he became a symbol of unwavering imperial loyalty number 5 Kato Kiyomasa related to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and like him born of humble origins Kiyomasa would first earn recognition serving in Hideyoshi's Western campaign against the Mori clan later fighting at Yamazaki and Shizuka taki where he too earned the distinction of becoming known as one of the seven spears of Shizuka taki he would fight in the conquest of Kyushu and in time become one of the leading figures during the in gene war commanding brutal campaigns deep into the Korean Peninsula it is here we can see firsthand his cruelty and love of war Gia masa is said to have had an aura of militarism valuing martial prowess over all else he would even order soldiers under his command to refrain from poetry and dancing as he saw them as unworthy actions of true warriors as while in Korea he himself took to hunting Tigers with his spear after the end of the war in korea Kiyomasa would side with Tokugawa Ieyasu against Ishida Mitsunari during the lead-up to the Battle of Sekigahara this would lead to a new round of fighting throughout Kyushu where he sought to bring down all Ishida Western army loyalists in particular the Shimazu although he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu his loyalty to the Toyotomi family remained intact in fact it can be argued that he may have only sided against me too nari because he hated him for past grievances after Sakiko Hara and in the build-up to the new conflict regarding Toyotomi Hideyoshi at osaka castle it is argued that Tokugawa Ieyasu had Kuma's a poisoned in 1611 rather than have such a fierce and well-regarded warrior as himself take the side of the Toyotomi heir number 4 Shimazu Yoshihiro of all of the famous and important Shimazu clan warriors Yoshihiro had the most impressive career fighting ferociously against the Shimazu clans enemies throughout Kyushu he became instrumental in many of the clans and new victories in fact he and his brothers nearly unified the island were it not for the invasion of proteomic Hideyoshi even then Yoshihiro put forth a mighty effort against the Toyotomi even wishing to continue the fight long after his brothers began suing for peace he later fought in Korea scoring a number of impressive victories most prominently at the Battle of Sachin where he defeated a numerically superior Chinese and Korean army while also inflicting massive casualties during the sakuya hara campaign Yoshihiro what end up siding with Ishida Mitsunari although the two would later have an unfortunate falling-out when on the eve of battle Yoshihiro suggested a night raid against Tokugawa positions a suggestion that Mitsunari shot down immediately and then doing so also sliding Yoshihiro if he had only listened to Yoshihiro and gone ahead with the nitrate it may have actually done much to sway things in favor of meet soon Ari's forces instead the battle would be a complete disaster for him meets Inari's insult caused Yoshihiro to betray him by deciding to simply sit out of the action until finally clashing with E now masa while the Shimazu forces were attempting to withdraw in the end it is suggested that when Tokugawa Ieyasu learned of your hero's actions at Tsukiji Hara he decided not to strip the Shimazu of their territory yet still they'll be branded as Kazama daimyo outsiders who did not formally submit to the Tokugawa until 1602 this in turn allowed the Shimazu of Satsuma to live on as they were one day be instrumental in the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Beauchene war number three Minamoto Yoshitsune the valiant warrior and skilled commander Yoshitsune alongside his friend and Ally Benkei fought together throughout the climactic kanpei war as Yoshitsune would come to lead the Minamoto clan to a series of impressive and inspiring victories against their Taira clan enemies with his most significant triumph being at the Battle of Don Laura which ended up being the legendary final engagement of the war in the aftermath as Minamoto no Yoritomo would go on to become the new shogun and found the Kamakura Shogunate he saw Yoshitsune as a potential rival to his power and influence this was spurred forth by rumors that implied Yoshitsune to have a treasonous intent this would lead Yoritomo to eventually order the death of Yoshitsune who would finally be hunted down and killed in 1189 however you should soon his legacy would live on as one of the most graceful and skilled samurai who ever lived and one of the most prominent figures of The a war being instrumental in its conclusion number two Honda pata katsu a legendary retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu han da Terra katsu was a native of mikawa province and initially supported the radical through Pure Land sect of Buddhism championed by the Eco Ikki upon seeing the merit of the young Matsudaira molto Yasu who had returned to Mikawa to reclaim his birthright in the aftermath of okehazama tera katsu abandoned the true Pure Land faith and went on to serve moto Yasu who in time would of course change his name to Tokugawa Ieyasu from that point on Terra katsu became EAS news top commander fighting in nearly every battle beside his lord from a nagawa to me kata-kata to nagashi no to almost every single engagement all the way to Sakuya Hara Terra katsu became an instrument of war clad in black and crowned with antlers wielding not only the tombow beauty one of the three legendary Spears of Japan but also a sword crafted by the legendary Smith Masamune he indeed would become one of the most intimidating warriors to have ever lived at the conflict of Komachi Anagha coude it has said that one buying time for Yasu tadakatsu rode out against a much larger Toyotomi force although upon seeing the bravery of tata katsu Hideyoshi decided not to engage later in the prelude to Sekigahara during the clash at the cuy segawa tada katsu would aid several other Tokugawa commanders who had been ambushed by Western army forces under Shima suckle tada katsu would intervene once again buying time for his allies to escape before fighting his own way out after the Tokugawa victory at Tsukiji Hara tada katsu would live on until finally passing away in 1610 he is often remembered today as the warrior who surpassed death due to the fact that he never once sustained an injury in any of his many battles number one Sanada Yukimura son of Sanada masa you ki and younger brother to sauna Lobo Yuki Sanada Nishiki better known today as Yukimura would spend much of his youth as a hostage - first the boy Suki and later - Toyotomi Hideyoshi to whom his father had pledged his allegiance to in fact Yukimura may have even participated in the conquest of Kyushu engaging in the bitter fighting against the Shimazu later he would serve extensively in the engine war where he would earn the nickname the number one warrior in Japan following the engine war and in the lead-up to Saki GU Hara Masayuki and Yukiko era would take the side of Ishida Mitsunari and defended their castle of Buddha for a second time against a massive Tokugawa army an army which was under the command of Tokugawa Ieyasu son and heir he died tada the Sanada would claim victory for the second time defending Nevada against the Tokugawa and would succeed in stalling he ded Kara's force which was supposed to be on its way to Sakiko Hara where it was desperately needed in the aftermath because the Sanada sided with Ishida Mitsunari who lost at Tsukiji Hara Yukimura would be sent into exile although 14 years later as a new conflict was arising in regards to Toyotomi Hideyoshi at Osaka Castle Yukimura would escape from his exile and hurry to Osaka to the Toyotomi air it is here Yukimura will make a series of desperate attempts at defending Osaka against insurmountable forces under the command of Tokugawa Ieyasu during this conflict Yukimura would showcase his capability by proving to be a terrifyingly fierce commander and warrior depriving a azu of a swift victory being vastly outnumbered he fought at okagawa forces to a devastating standstill during the winter siege of Osaka inflicting massive casualties and later he merely broke the Tokugawa Army in the final battle of tennouji during the summer siege ultimately Yukimura would realize all hope to be fading and order a last ditch full charge against chaos whose position which would result in an all-out heroic final assault that put Yukimura within inches of killing Ieyasu however it would all be in vain as Ieyasu would narrowly escaped death surrounded by hundreds of Tokugawa samurai Yukimura would die at Panaji his last words famously asking who would dare to take his head although his legacy would live on as one of the greatest samurai ever lived apart from being called Japan's number one warrior he would also be known as a hero who may appear once in a hundred years a crimson demon of war and the last Sengoku hero today similar to Kusanagi Musashi GAE Japan continues to honor the legacy and memory of Sanna Yukimura as he is still seen as a symbol of resolute defiance and adherence to one's own integrity and honor that is what makes him the greatest and most influential samurai warrior of all time so that is my list of the top 10 greatest samurai warriors I'm sure there are names you were expecting to see that I left out or perhaps expected the order I had the men to be different whatever the case like I said before please leave me your thoughts in the comments I'd love to see what your top 10 greatest samurai warriors list looks like anyways I have more ideas for these top 10 lists so expect more in the future but until then thank you for watching and don't forget to Like subscribe and ring that notification bell if you enjoyed this video and foul to be most interesting

Channel: The Shogunate

Views: 195,938

Rating: 4.9181404 out of 5

Keywords: Samurai, Top 10, Japan, Warrior, Fight, battle, History, military, honor, rank, katana, bushido, Daimyo, Shogun, Shogunate, Korea, clan, Tokugawa, Oda

Id: OGsvGposIXk

Length: 18min 30sec (1110 seconds)

Published: Wed May 20 2020