Who was this person?
A Sengoku warlord of Kai (now Yamanashi). He took over the house by ousting his father Nobutora, conquered most of Shinano and fought Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo several times at Kawanakajima. He issued the house code Kōshū Hatto no Shidai and is known for flood-control works called Shingen-zutsumi. Invading Tokugawa lands from 1572, he beat Ieyasu at Mikatagahara but died of illness during the campaign.
| Name | Takeda Shingen (武田信玄) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1521 – 1573 |
| Period | Sengoku period |
| Birthplace | Kai Province (now Yamanashi); born at Yōgaisan Castle, by tradition |
| Also known as | Takeda Harunobu |
| Main achievements |
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Born the eldest son of Takeda Nobutora, military governor of Kai (Yamanashi); his name was Harunobu.
At 15 he came of age as Harunobu, receiving a character from shogun Ashikaga Yoshiharu. His father is said to have favored his younger brother Nobushige and to have been on poor terms with him.
With his retainers he banished his father Nobutora to the Imagawa in Suruga and became head of the Takeda at 20, reportedly because his father's harsh rule had angered vassals and people.
He seized Suwa in Shinano (Nagano), beginning his advance into the province. In Kai he started building levees (the Shingen levee) on the often-flooding Kamanashi River to protect fields.
He issued the Kōshū Hatto no Shidai, laws for governing his domain, including punishing both parties in any quarrel among retainers, and declared that he himself would obey the law.
He was beaten by Murakami Yoshikiyo of Shinano at Uedahara, losing senior retainers such as Itagaki Nobukata. It was a heavy blow, but he pressed on with the conquest of Shinano.
Murakami and others driven from Shinano turned to Uesugi Kenshin (then Nagao Kagetora) of Echigo, and Shingen began fighting Kenshin at Kawanakajima—five battles over twelve years.
He took vows as Shingen. His banner reading "fūrinkazan" (wind, forest, fire, mountain), drawn from Sunzi's Art of War, is famous.
The fiercest of the battles cost him his brother Nobushige and many commanders. Legend tells that Kenshin charged alone into Shingen's headquarters.
Clashing with his eldest son Yoshinobu over relations with the Imagawa, he confined him in a temple; Yoshinobu died two years later.
Breaking his alliance with the Imagawa, he invaded Suruga. The tale that his enemy Kenshin sent him salt when the Imagawa cut off supplies to Kai ("sending salt to an enemy") is considered a later legend.
Answering calls from shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and others, he set out with a great army toward Kyoto and crushed Tokugawa Ieyasu at Mikatagahara.
After attacking Noda castle in Mikawa his illness worsened, and he died on the way back to Kai. He reportedly asked that his death be kept secret for three years.
A. A Sengoku warlord of Kai (now Yamanashi). He took over the house by ousting his father Nobutora, conquered most of Shinano and fought Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo several times at Kawanakajima. He issued the house code Kōshū Hatto no Shidai and is known for flood-control works called Shingen-zutsumi. Invading Tokugawa lands from 1572, he beat Ieyasu at Mikatagahara but died of illness during the campaign.
A. Period: Sengoku period. Born in 1521, died in 1573.
A. Takeda Shingen was born in Kai Province (now Yamanashi); born at Yōgaisan Castle, by tradition.
A. A series of clashes, traditionally counted as five between 1553 and 1564, in which Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin fought over Kawanakajima in northern Shinano (now Nagano City). The fourth, in 1561, is said to have been the fiercest.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Uesugi KenshinAshikaga YoshiakiTokugawa IeyasuSakai TadatsuguAsakura YoshikageHōjō UjimasaImagawa UjizaneTakeda Katsuyori
Matsunaga HisahideHōjō UjiyasuImagawa YoshimotoImai SōkyūSue Harukata (Takafusa)Sen no RikyūShibata KatsuieMiyoshi Nagayoshi
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.