Sanada Yukitaka

Sanada Yukitaka (真田 幸隆) was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki and grandfather of the legendary samurai warrior Sanada Yukimura of whom served Toyotomi clan.

Yukitaka was one of three "Danjo" generals to be named Danjōchū (Danjō stands for a formal title, Danjōchū; 弾正忠) by Shingen, along with Kōsaka Masanobu and Hoshina Masatoshi.

In 1541, Takeda Nobutora, Suwa clan and Murakami Yoshikiyo cooperatively attacked Unno clan and their relatives at the Battle of Unnodaira. Unno clan including Sanada clan left Shinano province, and participants divided captured territory. But after this battle, Takeda Shingen expelled his father Takeda Nobutora and became new leader of Takeda clan. A few years later, he became a vassal of Takeda Shingen.

Under Takeda Shingen, Sanada Yukitaka participated in the Battle of Odaihara in 1546 and the sieges of Toishi in 1550 and 1551, After the Battle of Toishi, Yukitaka and Sanada clan restored their old territory.

Throughout his life, Yukitaka contributed to the expansion of the domain of the Takeda clan.