Samurai Banners

In 1535, Obayashi Kansuke, a masterless samurai, is on his way home to succeed his adoptive father after 15 years of journey studying military strategies. At a deserted village he...

Kansuke returns home in Mikawa Domain after 15 years. He brings the decapitated head of the samurai of the Takeda army he killed to save Mitsu—he have planned to show it as a displ...

Kansuke goes back to the Kai domain, where he meets Mitsu. She is expecting a baby, whose father, she insists, is Kansuke. Though he refuses her once, Kansuke gradually becomes att...

Mitsu has been shot and killed by Nobutora. Kansuke keeps calm, but hearing Takeda’s retainers impose silence on the villagers about what happened, Kansuke attacks in fury at Nobuk...

Kansuke is introduced to Jukeini, the mother of a potential successor to the late head of the Imagawa clan. Kansuke proposes the woman who has tremendous influence in the clan a pl...

Fukushima seeks refuge with Takeda’s retainer who introduced Fukushima to the head of the Takeda family. Nobutora kills both of the two. The conflict between Nobutora and his son H...

Kansuke is given a chance to talk to Ujiyasu Hojo, the head of the clan. However, Ujiyasu refuses to make Kansuke his retainer, sensing that Kansuke is driven by resentment against...

The army of the Takeda clan besieges the Unnokuchi castle. Kansuke gives advice to the warlord of the castle and help him defend the castle from the 8000-person army. Harunobu Take...

Harunobu has taken the Unnokuchi castle by surprise. Kansuke appears in front of Harunobu, resigned to being killed. Harunobu puts his sword on Kansuke’s neck but leaves him alive,...

Itagaki secretly works on persuading major Takeda retainers and the Imagawa clan to support Harunobu. Unaware of the conspiracy against him, Nobutora leaves Kai for Suruga invited...

Harunobu declares in front of his retainers and his brother Nobushige that Nobutora is expelled. As the younger brother who was Nobutora’s favorite supports Harunobu’s decision, th...

Harunobu is now the leader of the Takeda clan. Kansuke has a masterless samurai attack Harunobu’s chief retainer Nobukata Itagaki and saves the retainer killing the samurai, for th...

Kansuke is challenged to a duel by the strongest retainer of the Takeda clan. Kansuke beats the samurai without an actual duel and makes Harunobu and the retainers appreciate his w...

Takeda’s territory in Shinano has been invaded by the Uesugi clan. Yorishige Suwa, Harunobu’s brother by marriage who has been allied with Takeda, makes peace with the Uesugi clan...

In April 1542, the first son is born to Yorishige Suwa and Nene, Harunobu’s sister. Kansuke proposes to Harunobu to secretly ally with a kin of the Suwa clan and launch a pincer mo...

Yorishige Suwa and Nene are sent to Kofu, Kai’s castle town, where the head of the Suwa clan is forced to kill himself. Kansuke goes to Suwa with Itagaki’s troops to make the remna...

Kansuke decides to help Yu escape from captivity. Meanwhile, interested that Kansuke has saved the princess, Harunobu decides to take Yu as his own concubine, which is the only way...

Yu is brought to Kofu from Suwa and Harunobu declares that he will take Yu as his own concubine. The retainers bitterly oppose his idea. Only Kansuke sides with Harunobu, saying if...

Yu finally agrees to become Harunobu’s concubine. Harunobu holds a formal wedding ceremony for Yu to symbolize the ties between the two clans. Kansuke leaves for Shinano to devise...

In September 1543, Takeda’s army besieges Nagakubo Castle in Shinano. Harunobu decides to give Kansuke the position of Takeda’s military strategist, if he successfully captures the...

Yu’s odd behavior sends ripples through the Takeda clan. Kansuke stands up for Yu and is accused by the senior retainers. Harunobu’s mother tries to admonish her but Yu just breaks...

Yu becomes pregnant with Harunobu’s child. Kansuke is pleased as if it were his own. Meanwhile, Sessai, a military strategist of the Imagawa clan, visits Harunobu. Sessai asks him...

The Hojo clan is caught in a bind in their territory Musashi, as the strategic point Kawagoe Castle is put under siege by the army of Norimasa Uesugi. Kansuke goes to the castle, l...

Kansuke is wounded by gunfire in the night assault at Kawagoe Castle. He is saved by Yukitaka Sanada and stays at a temple in Kozuke, Uesugi’s territory, while the wound heals. San...

Kansuke devises a plan to make Shiro, the son of Yu and Harunobu, the next head of the Suwa clan. Toraoumaru, Yu’s half younger brother, has been regarded as the successor to the S...

Kasahara Kiyoshige, the warlord of Shiga Castle in Shinano, raises an army against the Takeda clan. Harunobu is irritated at being still unable to assume full control of Shinano. T...

Having succeeded in capturing Shiga Castle by force, Harunobu declares war against Murakami Yoshikiyo, the warlord who dominates the northern part of Shinano. Kansuke tries to diss...

In February 1548, Takeda’s troops advance on Shinano. The vanguard led by Itagaki and Amari battles against Murakami’s troops in Uedahara. Itagaki is ready for death and tells Kans...

In the battle at Uedahara, the Takeda clan has lost two generals—Itagaki and Amari. Though he at first refuses to admit his defeat, Harunobu decides to retreat in the end. In Kai,...

Around the same time that Harunobu and Kansuke defeat the Ogasawara clan, Kagetora Nagao becomes the head of the Nagao family, succeeding his elder brother. Things finally calm dow...

Harunobu finally conquers the Ogasawara clan and seizes their territory in Shinano. His only great enemy of Shinano, Murakami, remains. Capturing the impregnable Toishi Castle is t...

Kansuke disguises as a gun trader and meets Kagetora. He offers Kagetora 10 guns, but he demands to provide 100 guns, saying he will take Kansuke as a hostage until he meets the de...

Kansuke's disguise as a gun trader does not deceive Usami. Kagetora entrusts Kansuke to Usami, as an indication of Takeda's plot to seize Echigo and make Usami realize the importan...

Harunobu saves Kansuke and goes back to Kai. During his absence, the Takeda clan was severely defeated by Murakami and Sanada, the very person who caused the defeat, is under fire...

Hara, Takeda’s retainer, suddenly introduces his daughter Ritsu to Kansuke to be his wife. Ritsu’s passionate approach to Kansuke appalls him. On the way to Suwa to visit Princess...

Kansuke, prepared to kill Ogoto on behalf of Yu, loses his motivation, recognizing her innocence and beauty. Instead, he advises her to respect Yu’s son Shiro as the successor of t...

As Harunobu’s mother senses that her death is near, she is concerned about Harunobu’s future and entrusts Kansuke with Harunobu. Meanwhile, the army of Norimasa Uesugi is driven in...

After strengthening the tie with the Imagawa family by the marriage of Imagawa’s daughter and Harunobu’s son and heir Taro, Takeda’s troops finally advance on to Shinano defeating...

In August 1553, the troops of Echigo led by Kagetora advances to Kawanakajima of Shinano and the first battle of Kawanakajima breaks out. Foreseeing that Kagetora’s target is to be...

After the first battle against Kagetora, Harunobu visits Yu in Suwa. Having heard that Kansuke might marry Ritsu, Yu has mixed feelings. Meanwhile, Kansuke embarks on the three-lin...

Yu falls ill and tells Kansuke that her death is near. Kiso is chosen by Yu for Kansuke's next conquest. On the day Kansuke is to leave for Kiso, Yu urges him to get married as soo...

Yu passes away before Kansuke comes back from the battle. He remembers her last words urging him to marry and leave an heir. Kansuke leaves a note to Harunobu and goes on a trip to...

Kansuke decides to adopt Ritsu instead of marrying her. Harunobu succeeds in persuading Nagao's chief retainer to take on Takeda's side. Harunobu gaining momentum advances on to no...

Usami, a general of the Nagao family, sends Heizo to Suruga to see Toraoumaru, Yu's half brother who is also the bereaved child of the Suwa Family. Heizo and Toraoumaru, harboring...

Usami's assassination attempt on Shingen fails. Kansuke's mistrust fuels towards the Imagawa clan in spite of the alliance between Takeda and Imagawa. In 1560, Yoshimoto decides to...

In 1560, Kagetora advances onto Kanto defeating Hojo in order to restore the Kanto area. Around the same time, Yu and Harunobu's son Shiro celebrates the coming of age and assumes...

Masatora realizes that his failure in capturing the Odawara Castle was due to his arrogance. He reaffirms his determination for the next battle against the Takeda clan. Sensing tha...

After hearing an old woman's prediction that thick fog will descend in Kawanakajima the following morning, Kansuke decides that the time has come for him to make the move. Kansuke...

On September 10, 1561, the fierce battle between Takeda and Uesugi rose to its peak. Kansuke's strategy was foreseen by Usami and Uesugi's troops led by Masatora attacks Takeda's m...