The Great Tardiness at Sekigahara — Held Up by the Sanada
In September 1600, Hidetada marched westward on the Nakasendo with roughly 38,000 troops, stopping to attack Sanada Masayuki's Ueda Castle along the way. Masayuki, with a fraction of the troops, held out through clever tactics and tied down Hidetada's army. Obsessed with taking Ueda, Hidetada missed the main Battle of Sekigahara on September 15. Ieyasu was furious and reportedly refused to see Hidetada for several days. This 'great tardiness of the century' became a lifelong stain on his reputation, but ironically, the experience may have instilled in him the philosophy that governance by law, rather than by battle, was the true path to rule.