Who was this person?
A Sengoku daimyo of Kai (Yamanashi) and the father of Takeda Shingen. Inheriting the family headship young, he unified strife-torn Kai and built the Tsutsujigasaki residence in Kōfu. In 1541 he was driven out of Kai by his heir Harunobu (Shingen) and later lived in Suruga and Kyoto.
| Name | Takeda Nobutora (武田信虎) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1494 – 1574 |
| Period | Sengoku period |
| Birthplace | Kai Province |
| Also known as | Takeda Nobunao |
| Main achievements |
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He was born the heir of Takeda Nobutsuna, military governor of Kai Province (Yamanashi). His first name was Nobunao. His birth year is usually given as 1494, though some say 1498 (accounts differ). Kai was then a troubled province where the governor's power had weakened and local warriors called kunishū fought one another.
When his father Nobutsuna died, he inherited the headship of the Takeda and the governorship of Kai while still a boy. But his uncle Aburakawa Nobuyoshi opposed this and raised troops, and many of Kai's kunishū took sides. Nobunao began his years of fighting with a struggle inside his own family.
At the Battle of Katsuyama Castle he crushed his uncle Nobuyoshi's army, and Nobuyoshi and many of his family were killed. The divided Takeda house was thus united under Nobunao. He then brought the Oyamada of Gunnai (eastern Kai) under his control and married his sister to Oyamada Nobuari to strengthen the tie.
He moved his base from Isawa to a new residence he built in Kōfu. This was Tsutsujigasaki Yakata; he had his retainers live around it and developed a castle town. The place name Kōfu is said to date from this time. North of the residence he also built Yōgaisan Castle as a refuge in emergencies.
A large army of the Imagawa of Suruga, led by their retainer Fukushima Masashige, invaded Kai and came close to Kōfu. Nobutora defeated it in the battles of Iida-gawara and Kamijō-gawara. It is said that during this fighting his heir Harunobu, the future Takeda Shingen, was born at Yōgaisan Castle.
With the Imagawa driven out, Kai was almost entirely united under Nobutora. That year he is recorded as visiting Kuon-ji on Mount Minobu with his retainers and climbing Mount Fuji. Some think he did so to show those around him the power with which he had united the province.
Having united Kai, Nobutora fought fiercely with neighbors such as the Hōjō of Sagami and the Suwa of Shinano. That year he invaded Suwa in Shinano but was defeated. The Katsuyama-ki also records that he issued a debt-relief decree for Kai. Amid constant war, he tried to manage affairs both inside and outside his province.
A succession struggle broke out among the Imagawa in Suruga, and Imagawa Yoshimoto became head. Nobutora allied with the Imagawa, whom he had been fighting, and married his daughter to Yoshimoto. He had also made peace with the Suwa the year before, greatly reshaping relations with his neighbors. That year Harunobu is said to have fought his first battle.
Returning from fighting in Shinano, Nobutora went to Suruga to meet his son-in-law Imagawa Yoshimoto. His heir Harunobu then closed the border, and Nobutora could not return to Kai. The senior retainers also backed Harunobu. Discontent with his harsh rule and heavy burdens is given as the reason, but the details are debated.
Driven from Kai, Nobutora took refuge with Imagawa Yoshimoto and lived in Suruga. His wife, Lady Ōi, stayed in Kai, but Nobutora also had children in Suruga. Harunobu, who had taken over Kai, expanded into Shinano and later became famous as Takeda Shingen.
After Imagawa Yoshimoto was defeated and killed at the Battle of Okehazama, Nobutora gradually came to spend his time in Kyoto. He is said to have served near the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and mixed with Kyoto's court nobles and monks. Even after leaving Kai, he is thought to have played a certain role in the capital as the former head of a famous warrior house.
The year after Shingen died, Nobutora moved to Takatō in Shinano, part of the domain of his grandson Takeda Katsuyori, and died there. He outlived his son Shingen and ended his life back in Takeda lands after more than thirty years away. He was buried at Daisen-ji in Kōfu, where his grave remains today.
A. A Sengoku daimyo of Kai (Yamanashi) and the father of Takeda Shingen. Inheriting the family headship young, he unified strife-torn Kai and built the Tsutsujigasaki residence in Kōfu. In 1541 he was driven out of Kai by his heir Harunobu (Shingen) and later lived in Suruga and Kyoto.
A. Period: Sengoku period. Born in 1494, died in 1574.
A. Takeda Nobutora was born in Kai Province.
A. In 1541, when he went to Suruga to meet his son-in-law Imagawa Yoshimoto, his heir Harunobu (later Shingen) closed the border and the senior retainers backed Harunobu, so he could not return. Discontent with his harsh rule and the heavy burden of war is given as the reason, but details are disputed.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
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People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.