[:it]Takeda Shingen (Takeda Harunobu 1 ° dicembre 1521 – 13 maggio 1573), primogenito del signore della guerra Takeda Nobutora, nacque nel potente clan Takeda. Egli era Shugo Daimyo (governatori militari) dell’allora provincia di Kai, attuale prefettura di Yamanashi.

Takeda Shingen ebbe un ruolo molto importante nella battaglia di Un no Kuchi nel 1536, a soli 15 anni. Quando suo padre designò il suo secondo figlio come erede, Shingen condusse un colpo di stato senza spargimento di sangue. Questo costrinse il padre a ritirarsi come capo del clan. Successivamente, Shingen iniziò ad espandere i domini della sua famiglia verso nord nella provincia di Shinano (attuale prefettura di Nagano) e in terre adiacenti a Kai.

Come capo indiscusso del clan Takeda, iniziò la sua politica espansionistica partendo dalla Battaglia di Sezawa. Proseguì poi con gli assedi di Uehara, Kuwabara e Fukuyo, le battaglie di Ankokuji, Odaihara, Shiojiritoge, e la serie di Battaglie di Kawanakajima contro Uesugi Kenshin.
Shingen decise di far indossare a tutti i guerrieri un’armatura rossa laccata nelle prime linee dei suoi eserciti per intimidire psicologicamente il nemico. Questa idea fu anche successivamente copiata dal clan dell’esercito Tokugawa.

photo credits: japantimes.co.jp

La vita di Takeda Shingen

Nel 1548 Takeda Shingen sconfisse Ogasawara Nagatoki nella battaglia di Shiojiritōge e prese Fukashi nel 1550. Uesugi Kenshin scese in campo in quel momento poiché i Takeda erano ormai giunti ai confini della sua provincia.
Quella che iniziò fu una rivalità che diventerà leggendaria e che li portò a scontrarsi nelle battaglie di Kawanakajima. Queste battaglie furono generalmente delle schermaglie, infatti nessuno dei due daimyō voleva scoprirsi in una battaglia a tutto campo.

La battaglia più feroce tra i due fu la quarta, durante la quale, secondo la leggenda, Uesugi Kenshin riuscì ad aprirsi un varco tra le linee Takeda e affrontò Shingen. Si narra che Kenshin attaccò Shingen con la sua spada difendendosi con il suo ventaglio (o tessen). Entrambi persero numerosi uomini durante la battaglia. In particolare Shingen perse due importanti generali, Yamamoto Kansuke e suo fratello più giovane Takeda Nobushige.

Takeda Shingen entrò nel sacerdozio nel 1551, momento in cui assunse il nome buddista Shingen. Tuttavia, prendere i voti religiosi non impedì in alcun modo la sua partecipazione agli affari mondani.

Dopo la quarta battaglia, Shingen scoprì due complotti alla sua vita. Il primo da parte di suo cugino Suwa Shigemasa, al quale fu ordinato di commettere seppuku. Mentre il secondo, qualche anno più tardi da suo figlio Takeda Yoshinobu. Quest’ultimo fu esiliato presso il tempio Toko, dove morì due anni dopo forse per ordine del padre. Dopo questo incidente, Shingen designò il suo quartogenito, Katsuyori come successore alla guida del clan.

Dopo aver conquistato Katsurao, Wada, Takashima e Fukuda, nel 1554 riportò altrettante vittorie negli assedi di Fukushima, Kannomine, Matsuo e Yoshioka.

Nel 1563, insieme a Hōjō Ujiyasu, Takeda Shingen conquistò il castello di Matsuyama nella provincia di Musashi. Successivamente ottenne il possesso di Kuragano nel 1565 e del castello di Minowa. Poi si mosse contro gli Hōjō attaccando il castello di Hachigata.
Si ritirò con successo dopo che Hōjō Ujiteru e Hōjō Ujikuni fallirono il tentativo di fermarlo nella battaglia di Mimasetōge.

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La principale ambizione di Harunobu era la sottomissione di Shinano. Tuttavia, la resistenza in quel quartiere fu feroce. Un certo numero di signori della guerra Shinano, tra cui Murakami Yoshikiyo, Ogasawara Nagatoki, Suwa Yorishige e Kiso Yoshiyasu, fecero una mossa progettata per sperare di troncare sul nascere un’ulteriore aggressione Takeda.

La marcia verso il confine del Kai

Nell’aprile del 1542 i quattro daimyo combinarono le forze e marciarono verso il confine di Kai, incoraggiati dalla notizia che Harunobu stava rafforzando le sue difese e si preparava a prendere posizione a Fuchu. In effetti, le attività di Harunobu furono uno stratagemma. Lungi dall’attendere passivamente a Kai, Harunobu guidò i suoi uomini e colse di sorpresa i guerrieri Shinano, sconfiggendoli a Sezawa.

Incoraggiato dai risultati di Sezawa, Harunobu fece un viaggio a Shinano concentrandosi sul territorio del clan Suwa. Prese prima Uehara in un attacco a sorpresa e poi si trasferì nel quartier generale di Suwa a Kuwahara, situato a 2 chilometri a est. Suwa Yorishige non ebbe altra scelta che arrendersi in seguito alla promessa di condotta sicura da parte di Harunobu. Yorishige e suo fratello furono portati a Kai dove il generale Takeda, Itagaki Nobutaka, organizzò la loro morte. Entrambi i Suwa si suicidarono.

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Harunobu, con l’aiuto delle strategie di Yamamoto Kansuke, espanse ulteriormente il suo territorio attraverso la sconfitta di Tozawa Yorichika e Takato Yoritsugu. L’acquisizione del castello di Takato fu di particolare valore. Infatti, essa fornì una zona di sosta sicura nel sud di Shinano, nonché un cuscinetto contro qualsiasi aggressione meridionale.

Nel 1544 i Takeda marciarono verso Suruga a sostegno dell’Imagawa e affrontarono Hôjô Ujiyasu. Non avvenne alcun conflitto reale a seguito di questo scontro. Harunobu fu infatti costretto a stipulare un trattato di pace tra Hōjō e Imagawa.

Nel corso del decennio successivo, Harunobu continuò a esercitare una pressione incessante sui signori della guerra Shinano. Nel 1548 Murakami Yoshikiyo, forse il più formidabile nemico Shinano di Harunobu, si spostò su Ueda e sconfisse il clan Takeda in un aspro scontro. Qui vennero usati un certo numero di archibugi cinesi, le prime armi del genere mai schierate in una battaglia giapponese. Mentre la sconfitta di Uehara lasciava morti due dei suoi migliori generali, Harunobu rimbalzò rapidamente. Infatti, nel 1552 i clan Murakami e Ogasawara fuggirono da Shinano a Echigo.

Takeda Shingen vs Uesugi Kenshin

Nel giugno e nell’ottobre del 1553 gli eserciti Takeda e Uesugi si scontrarono vicino alla pianura Kawanakajima nel nord di Shinano. Uno scontro durato cinque volte ma solo la quarta battaglia produsse una gara a tutto campo. Entrambe le parti subirono pesanti perdite che rallentarono entrambi i signori della guerra per alcuni anni. In particolare, Shingen deve aver risentito della perdita di Nobushige e Yamamoto Kansuke, entrambi deceduti nella battaglia.

Nel 1560 Shingen aveva scoperto un complotto contro di lui guidato da sua cugina Katanuma Nobumoto e nel 1565 quello diretto da suo figlio Yoshinobu e Obu Toramasa. Due anni dopo Yoshinbou morì. Leggenda dice che la morte sia dovuta o a malattia o, come molti credono, perché Shingen lo aveva costretto a suicidarsi. L’evento lasciò i servitori di Takeda a disagio.

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Nel 1564, Shingen aveva sottomesso tutto Shinano e spostato la sua attenzione su Kōzuke, dove prese un certo numero di castelli dal clan Uesugi. Per i successivi cinque anni, si limitò alle incursioni e alle conquiste locali, concentrandosi sugli affari interni.
Nel 1560, il più grande successo di Shingen fu il progetto di Damji River Damming. Il beneficio del progetto del fiume Fuji è considerato una delle più grandi iniziative nazionali del XVI secolo.

Nel 1568, l’esercito di Takeda era di nuovo in movimento, questa volta a sud contro Imagawa. Il daimyō di quel clan era Ujizane, il figlio incompetente del defunto Imagawa Yoshimoto (ucciso nel 1560 da Oda Nobunaga). Yoshinobu, figlio di Shingen, aveva sposato la sorella di Ujizane, ma dopo il suicidio della stessa nel 1567, i rapporti tra le famiglie si erano acuiti. Sembrerebbe che Shingen e Tokugawa Ieyasu avessero stipulato un accordo in base al quale i due avrebbero diviso le terre rimanenti dell’Imagawa (Tōtōmi e Suruga). Tuttavia, questo accordo non fu mai portato a compimento. Inoltre, l’Hōjō di Sagami non vedeva di buon grado questo spostamento nell’equilibrio del potere. A causa di ciò, inviò le truppe a sfidare Shingen. Nel 1569 Shingen rispose invadendo Sagami e assediando Odawara (la capitale dell’Hōjō). Tuttavia, sulla via del ritorno a Kai, l’esercito Takeda riuscì a schiacciare un tentativo di agguato da parte di Mimasetoge di Hōjō.

Così, nel 1570, le terre di Takeda includevano Kai, Shinano, Suruga e pezzi di Kozuke, Tōtōmi e Hida. Shingen, a 49 anni, era ormai più di un potere regionale. Takeda Shingen era di fatto il più importante signore della guerra a est di Mino. Inoltre, fu l’unico in grado di far deragliare la marcia di Oda Nobunaga all’egemonia nazionale. Solo Shingen possedeva la posizione strategica e le forze armate per fermarlo.

Nel 1570 morì il formidabile Hōjō Ujiyasu e il suo erede, Ujimasa, fece pace con Shingen. Questo fu un atto che avrebbe potuto assicurare la distruzione definitiva di Tokugawa Ieyasu. Tuttavia, Shingen morì nel 1573 mandando i piani in fumo.

Il clan Takeda si allea con il clan Oda

Nel frattempo, i Takeda e gli Oda, puntavano al controllo del clan Uesugi. Dopo un corteggiamento diplomatico fallito, essi avviarono una guerra di parole con lo shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Shingen intensificò la pressione contro Tokugawa e nel 1572 lanciò un attacco a Tōtōmi che portò alla cattura di Futamata. Il seguente gennaio, Shingen ritornò nella provincia e attirò Tokugawa Ieyasu nella Battaglia di Mikatagahara. Condotta il 6 gennaio a nord di Hamamatsu, si concluse con una sconfitta quasi completa per Ieyasu.

Sebbene fossero spesso presentate come mosse iniziali in una marcia su Kyōto, le intenzioni di Shingen erano senza dubbio più conservative. Probabilmente, Takeda Shingen mirava a testare le risposte sia di Ieyasu che di Nobunaga e, se possibile, infliggere ai due una sconfitta. In ogni caso, entro pochi giorni dalla vittoria della battaglia, ricevette la notizia che Asakura Yoshikage aveva scelto di non opporsi a Nobunaga. Shingen rimase dispiaciuto, e avrebbe potuto contare su Yoshikage per mantenere la tensione su Nobunaga. Questo potrebbe aver giocato un ruolo nella sua decisione di tornare a Kai garantendo così una tregua al sanguinario Tokugawa.

La figura di Takeda Shingen

Shingen era una figura complicata, a volte assolutamente crudele. All’inizio della sua vita, aveva costretto Suwa Yorishige a suicidarsi (o lo aveva assassinato) dopo che i due signori della guerra avevano firmato un trattato di pace. Successivamente prese la figlia di Suwa come amante, ignorando il fatto che lei fosse tecnicamente la sua stessa nipote .

Apparentemente Shingen creò lo Shingen Tsuba, (la guardia della spada) noto anche come Takeda Tsuba. La storia racconta che mentre aspettava l’inizio di una battaglia, Shingen avvolgeva il filo di ottone attorno a un grande sukashi di ferro per tenersi concentrato e capace di pensare fino a quando la battaglia aveva inizio. A causa di ciò, molti dei suoi vassalli seguirono la guida di Shingen per tutto il periodo Edo.

È anche accreditato di aver inventato lo scarico del water, l’igiene del bagno, a quanto pare, era importante per Shingen. Inoltre, costruì le vaste dighe conosciute come Shingen Zutsumi lungo i segmenti Kamanashi del fiume Fuji. Questi muri hanno impedito le inondazioni ed è stata una delle più grandi e ambiziose iniziative di lavori pubblici nazionali del XVI secolo.

Le ben ponderate leggi di Shingen non erano considerate particolarmente severe. Ha sospeso le punizioni corporali per la maggior parte dei reati minori. Infatti, adottò un sistema di multe finanziarie, che gli valse il rispetto e l’elogio dei contadini e dei cittadini della provincia di Kai.
È interessante notare che Shingen aveva anche due grandi calderoni di ferro in cui far bollire alcuni criminali vivi. Tokugawa Ieyasu, pensando che la punizione fosse eccessivamente crudele, anni dopo distrusse i calderoni.

La sua riforma economica era anche innovativa all’epoca. Infatti, Takeda Shingen tassò la maggior parte dei suoi soggetti in modo uniforme e consentì loro l’opzione dei pagamenti in oro o riso.

Takeda Shingen aveva piani sui distretti di Mikawa e Owari (ora entrambi Prefettura di Aichi). Nel 1571 entrò nei territori del clan Okudaira (successivamente Tokugawa) e catturò il castello di Noda.
Nel 1573, invase Mikawa e di nuovo attaccò il castello di Noda. Tuttavia, questa volta, le fortificazioni del castello erano state rafforzate, consentendo di resistere per diverse settimane.

photo credits: wikimedia.org

La morte

Verso la fine dell’assedio, appena prima che i difensori del castello di Noda capitolassero, Takeda Shingen fu fucilato il 13 maggio 1573 da un tiratore scelto. Shingen è morto durante la fuga.
La morte di Takeda Shingen all’età di 49 anni rimase un segreto. I resti della pistola che sparò a Shingen sono conservati nel Museo Shitagahara a Nagashino, nella prefettura di Aichi. Suo figlio e successore, Takeda Katsuyori, fu sconfitto da Oda e Tokugawa nei primi anni del 1580, ponendo così fine al potere della famiglia Takeda

Al posto di un poema della morte, lasciò le seguenti parole, prese a prestito dalla letteratura Zen: “È in gran parte lasciato alla sua naturale perfezione corporale, e non ha alcun bisogno speciale di ricorrere alla colorazione artificiale e alla cipria per apparire bello.”[:en]Takeda Shingen (Takeda Harunobu December 1, 1521 – May 13, 1573), firstborn of warlord Takeda Nobutora, was born in the powerful Takeda clan. He was Shugo Daimyo (military governors) of the then province of Kai, present-day Yamanashi prefecture.

Takeda Shingen played a very important role in the battle of Un no Kuchi in 1536, he was only 15 years old. When his father designated his second son as heir, Shingen conducted a coup without bloodshed. This forced his father to retire as head of the clan. Later, Shingen began to expand his family’s domains northward into the province of Shinano (present-day Nagano prefecture) and into lands adjacent to Kai.

As the undisputed leader of the Takeda clan, he began his expansionist policy starting with the Battle of Sezawa. He then continued with the sieges of Uehara, Kuwabara and Fukuyo, the battles of Ankokuji, Odaihara, Shiojiritoge, and the Kawanakajima battles series against Uesugi Kenshin.
Shingen decided to have all the warriors in the first lines of his armies wear red lacquered armor to intimidate the enemy psychologically. This idea was also later copied by the Tokugawa army clan.

photo credits: japantimes.co.jp

The life of Takeda Shingen

In 1548 Takeda Shingen defeated Ogasawara Nagatoki in the battle of Shiojiritōge and took Fukashi in 1550. Uesugi Kenshin took the field at that time because the Takeda had now reached the borders of his province.
What began was a rivalry that became legendary and that led them to clash in the battles of Kawanakajima. These battles were generally skirmishes, in fact, none of the two daimyō wanted to discover themselves in an all-out battle.

The fiercest battle between the two was the fourth one, during which, according to legend, Uesugi Kenshin managed to break through the Takeda lines and faced Shingen. It is said that Kenshin attacked Shingen with his sword defending himself with his fan (or tessen). Both lost numerous men during the battle. In particular, Shingen lost two important generals, Yamamoto Kansuke and his younger brother Takeda Nobushige.

Takeda Shingen entered the priesthood in 1551, at which time he assumed the Buddhist name Shingen. However, taking religious vows in no way prevented his participation in worldly affairs.

After the fourth battle, Shingen discovered two plots against his life. The first by his cousin Suwa Shigemasa, who was ordered to commit seppuku. While the second, a few years later by his son Takeda Yoshinobu. The latter was exiled to the Toko temple, where he died two years later perhaps by order of his father. After this incident, Shingen appointed his fourth child, Katsuyori as successor to the leadership of the clan.

After conquering Katsurao, Wada, Takashima and Fukuda, in 1554 he returned as many victories in the sieges of Fukushima, Kannomine, Matsuo and Yoshioka.

In 1563, together with Hōjō Ujiyasu, Takeda Shingen conquered Matsuyama Castle in the province of Musashi. Subsequently it obtained the possession of Kuragano in 1565 and of the castle of Minowa. Then he moved against the Hōjō attacking Hachigata castle.
He retired successfully after Hōjō Ujiteru and Hōjō Ujikuni failed to stop him in the battle of Mimasetōge.

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Harunobu’s main ambition was the submission of Shinano. However, the resistance in that neighborhood was fierce. A number of Shinano warlords, including Murakami Yoshikiyo, Ogasawara Nagatoki, Suwa Yorishige and Kiso Yoshiyasu, made a move designed with the hope to cut off further Takeda aggressions.

The march towards the Kai borders

In April 1542 the four daimyo combined forces and marched towards the Kai border, encouraged by the news that Harunobu was strengthening his defenses and was preparing to take a stand in Fuchu. In fact, Harunobu’s activities were a ploy. Far from passively waiting in Kai, Harunobu led his men and took the Shinano warriors by surprise, defeating them at Sezawa.

Encouraged by Sezawa’s findings, Harunobu made a trip to Shinano focusing on the territory of the Suwa clan. He first took Uehara in a surprise attack and then moved to Suwa headquarters in Kuwahara, located 2 kilometers to the east. Suwa Yorishige had no choice but to surrender following Harunobu’s promise of safe conduct. Yorishige and his brother were taken to Kai where General Takeda, Itagaki Nobutaka, organized their death. Both of them committed suicide.

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Harunobu, with the help of Yamamoto Kansuke’s strategies, further expanded his territory through the defeat of Tozawa Yorichika and Takato Yoritsugu. The acquisition of the castle of Takato was of particular value. Indeed, it provided a safe stopping area in the south of Shinano, as well as a buffer against any southern aggression.

In 1544 the Takeda marched towards Suruga in support of Imagawa and confronted Hōjō Ujiyasu. No real conflict occurred following this confrontation. Harunobu was in fact forced to enter into a peace treaty between Hōjō and Imagawa.

Over the next decade, Harunobu continued to exert incessant pressure on the Shinano warlords. In 1548 Murakami Yoshikiyo, perhaps the most formidable Shinano enemy of Harunobu, moved to Ueda and defeated the Takeda clan in a bitter battle. Here a number of Chinese arquebuses were used, the first weapons of the genre ever deployed in a Japanese battle. While Uehara’s defeat left two of his best generals dead, Harunobu quickly bounced back. In fact, in 1552 the Murakami and Ogasawara clans fled from Shinano to Echigo.

Takeda Shingen vs Uesugi Kenshin

In June and October 1553 the Takeda and Uesugi armies clashed near the Kawanakajima plain in northern Shinano. A clash lasted five times but only the fourth battle produced a wide-ranging race. Both sides suffered heavy losses that slowed both warlords for a few years. In particular, Shingen must have suffered from the loss of Nobushige and Yamamoto Kansuke, both of whom died in the battle.

In 1560 Shingen had discovered a plot against him led by his cousin Katanuma Nobumoto and in 1565 the one organized by his son Yoshinobu and Obu Toramasa. Two years later Yoshinbou died. Legend says that death is due either to illness or, as many believe, because Shingen had forced him to commit suicide. The event left Takeda’s servants uneasy.

photo credits: wikipedia.org

In 1564, Shingen had subdued all of Shinano and turned his attention to Kōzuke, where he took a number of castles from the Uesugi clan. For the next five years, he limited himself to raids and local conquests, focusing on internal affairs.
In 1560, Shingen’s greatest achievement was the Damji River Damming project. The benefit of the Fuji river project is considered one of the greatest national initiatives of the sixteenth century.

In 1568, Takeda’s army was on the move again, this time south against Imagawa. The daimyo of that clan was Ujizane, the incompetent son of the late Imagawa Yoshimoto (killed in 1560 by Oda Nobunaga). Yoshinobu, son of Shingen, had married Ujizane’s sister, but after her suicide in 1567, relations between the families had increased. It would appear that Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu had entered into an agreement under which the two would divide the remaining lands of Imagawa (Tōtōmi and Suruga). However, this agreement was never completed. Furthermore, Sagami’s Hōjō did not see this shift in the balance of power. Because of this, he sent troops to challenge Shingen. In 1569 Shingen responded by invading Sagami and besieging Odawara (the capital of Hōjō). However, on the way back to Kai, the Takeda army managed to crush an attempted ambush by Mimasetoge of Hōjō.

Thus, in 1570, the lands of Takeda included Kai, Shinano, Suruga and pieces of Kozuke, Tōtōmi, and Hida. Shingen, at 49, was now more than a regional power. Takeda Shingen was in fact the most important warlord east of Mino. Moreover, he was the only one able to derail Oda Nobunaga’s march to national hegemony. Only Shingen had the strategic position and the armed forces to stop it.

In 1570 the formidable Hōjō Ujiyasu died and his heir, Ujimasa, made peace with Shingen. This was an act that could have ensured Tokugawa Ieyasu final destruction. However, Shingen died in 1573 sending the plans into smoke.

The Takeda clan allies with the Oda clan

Meanwhile, the Takeda and Oda, aimed at controlling the Uesugi clan. After a failed diplomatic courtship, they started a war of words with the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Shingen intensified the pressure against Tokugawa and in 1572 launched an attack on Tōtōmi which led to the capture of Futamata. The following January, Shingen returned to the province and attracted Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Mikatagahara. Conducted on January 6 north of Hamamatsu, it ended with an almost complete defeat for Ieyasu.

Although they were often presented as initial moves in a march on Kyoto, Shingen’s intentions were undoubtedly more conservative. Probably, Takeda Shingen aimed to test the answers of both Ieyasu and Nobunaga and, if possible, inflict a defeat on the two. In any case, within a few days of winning the battle, he received the news that Asakura Yoshikage had chosen not to oppose to Nobunaga. Shingen was sorry and could count on Yoshikage to maintain the tension on Nobunaga. This may have played a part in his decision to return to Kai, thus granting a truce to the bloody Tokugawa.

The figure of Takeda Shingen

Shingen was a complicated figure, sometimes absolutely cruel. At the beginning of his life, he had forced Suwa Yorishige to commit suicide (or murdered him) after the two warlords had signed a peace treaty. He then took Suwa’s daughter as a lover, ignoring the fact that she was technically his own niece.

Apparently, Shingen created Shingen Tsuba, (sword guard) also known as Takeda Tsuba. The story goes that while waiting for a battle to begin, Shingen wrapped the brass wire around a large iron sukashi to keep himself focused and able to think until the battle began. Because of this, many of his vassals followed Shingen’s leadership throughout the Edo period.

He is also credited with inventing the toilet drain, bathroom hygiene, apparently, was important to Shingen. He also built the vast dams known as Shingen Zutsumi along the Kamanashi segments of the Fuji river. These walls prevented flooding and were one of the largest and most ambitious national public works initiatives of the sixteenth century.

The well-considered laws of Shingen were not considered particularly severe. He suspended corporal punishment for most minor crimes. In fact, he adopted a system of financial fines, which earned him the respect and praise of the peasants and citizens of the province of Kai.
It is interesting to note that Shingen also had two large iron cauldrons in which to boil criminals still alive. Tokugawa Ieyasu, thinking that the punishment was excessively cruel, destroyed the cauldrons years later.

His economic reform was also innovative at the time. Indeed, Takeda Shingen taxed most of its subjects uniformly and allowed them the option of payments in gold or rice.

Takeda Shingen had planned on the districts of Mikawa and Owari (now both Aichi Prefecture). In 1571 he entered the territories of the Okudaira clan (later Tokugawa) and captured the castle of Noda.
In 1573, he invaded Mikawa and again attacked the castle of Noda. However, this time, the fortifications of the castle had been strengthened, allowing it to stand for several weeks.

photo credits: wikimedia.org

The death

On May 13, 1573, towards the end of the siege, just before the defenders of Noda Castle capitulated, Takeda Shingen was shot by a marksman. Shingen died during the escape.

The death of Takeda Shingen at the age of 49 remained a secret. The remains of the gun that was used to shoot Shingen are kept in the Shitagahara Museum in Nagashino, Aichi Prefecture. His son and successor, Takeda Katsuyori, was defeated by Oda and Tokugawa in the early 1580s, thus ending the power of the Takeda family.

Instead of a poem of death, he left the following words, borrowed from Zen literature: “It is largely left to its natural bodily perfection, and has no special need to resort to artificial coloring and powder to look beautiful. “[:ja]Takeda Shingen (Takeda Harunobu December 1, 1521 – May 13, 1573), firstborn of warlord Takeda Nobutora, was born in the powerful Takeda clan. He was Shugo Daimyo (military governors) of the then province of Kai, present-day Yamanashi prefecture.

Takeda Shingen played a very important role in the battle of Un no Kuchi in 1536, he was only 15 years old. When his father designated his second son as heir, Shingen conducted a coup without bloodshed. This forced his father to retire as head of the clan. Later, Shingen began to expand his family’s domains northward into the province of Shinano (present-day Nagano prefecture) and into lands adjacent to Kai.

As the undisputed leader of the Takeda clan, he began his expansionist policy starting with the Battle of Sezawa. He then continued with the sieges of Uehara, Kuwabara and Fukuyo, the battles of Ankokuji, Odaihara, Shiojiritoge, and the Kawanakajima battles series against Uesugi Kenshin.
Shingen decided to have all the warriors in the first lines of his armies wear red lacquered armor to intimidate the enemy psychologically. This idea was also later copied by the Tokugawa army clan.

photo credits: japantimes.co.jp

The life of Takeda Shingen

In 1548 Takeda Shingen defeated Ogasawara Nagatoki in the battle of Shiojiritōge and took Fukashi in 1550. Uesugi Kenshin took the field at that time because the Takeda had now reached the borders of his province.
What began was a rivalry that became legendary and that led them to clash in the battles of Kawanakajima. These battles were generally skirmishes, in fact, none of the two daimyō wanted to discover themselves in an all-out battle.

The fiercest battle between the two was the fourth one, during which, according to legend, Uesugi Kenshin managed to break through the Takeda lines and faced Shingen. It is said that Kenshin attacked Shingen with his sword defending himself with his fan (or tessen). Both lost numerous men during the battle. In particular, Shingen lost two important generals, Yamamoto Kansuke and his younger brother Takeda Nobushige.

Takeda Shingen entered the priesthood in 1551, at which time he assumed the Buddhist name Shingen. However, taking religious vows in no way prevented his participation in worldly affairs.

After the fourth battle, Shingen discovered two plots against his life. The first by his cousin Suwa Shigemasa, who was ordered to commit seppuku. While the second, a few years later by his son Takeda Yoshinobu. The latter was exiled to the Toko temple, where he died two years later perhaps by order of his father. After this incident, Shingen appointed his fourth child, Katsuyori as successor to the leadership of the clan.

After conquering Katsurao, Wada, Takashima and Fukuda, in 1554 he returned as many victories in the sieges of Fukushima, Kannomine, Matsuo and Yoshioka.

In 1563, together with Hōjō Ujiyasu, Takeda Shingen conquered Matsuyama Castle in the province of Musashi. Subsequently it obtained the possession of Kuragano in 1565 and of the castle of Minowa. Then he moved against the Hōjō attacking Hachigata castle.
He retired successfully after Hōjō Ujiteru and Hōjō Ujikuni failed to stop him in the battle of Mimasetōge.

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Harunobu’s main ambition was the submission of Shinano. However, the resistance in that neighborhood was fierce. A number of Shinano warlords, including Murakami Yoshikiyo, Ogasawara Nagatoki, Suwa Yorishige and Kiso Yoshiyasu, made a move designed with the hope to cut off further Takeda aggressions.

The march towards the Kai borders

In April 1542 the four daimyo combined forces and marched towards the Kai border, encouraged by the news that Harunobu was strengthening his defenses and was preparing to take a stand in Fuchu. In fact, Harunobu’s activities were a ploy. Far from passively waiting in Kai, Harunobu led his men and took the Shinano warriors by surprise, defeating them at Sezawa.

Encouraged by Sezawa’s findings, Harunobu made a trip to Shinano focusing on the territory of the Suwa clan. He first took Uehara in a surprise attack and then moved to Suwa headquarters in Kuwahara, located 2 kilometers to the east. Suwa Yorishige had no choice but to surrender following Harunobu’s promise of safe conduct. Yorishige and his brother were taken to Kai where General Takeda, Itagaki Nobutaka, organized their death. Both of them committed suicide.

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Harunobu, with the help of Yamamoto Kansuke’s strategies, further expanded his territory through the defeat of Tozawa Yorichika and Takato Yoritsugu. The acquisition of the castle of Takato was of particular value. Indeed, it provided a safe stopping area in the south of Shinano, as well as a buffer against any southern aggression.

In 1544 the Takeda marched towards Suruga in support of Imagawa and confronted Hōjō Ujiyasu. No real conflict occurred following this confrontation. Harunobu was in fact forced to enter into a peace treaty between Hōjō and Imagawa.

Over the next decade, Harunobu continued to exert incessant pressure on the Shinano warlords. In 1548 Murakami Yoshikiyo, perhaps the most formidable Shinano enemy of Harunobu, moved to Ueda and defeated the Takeda clan in a bitter battle. Here a number of Chinese arquebuses were used, the first weapons of the genre ever deployed in a Japanese battle. While Uehara’s defeat left two of his best generals dead, Harunobu quickly bounced back. In fact, in 1552 the Murakami and Ogasawara clans fled from Shinano to Echigo.

Takeda Shingen vs Uesugi Kenshin

In June and October 1553 the Takeda and Uesugi armies clashed near the Kawanakajima plain in northern Shinano. A clash lasted five times but only the fourth battle produced a wide-ranging race. Both sides suffered heavy losses that slowed both warlords for a few years. In particular, Shingen must have suffered from the loss of Nobushige and Yamamoto Kansuke, both of whom died in the battle.

In 1560 Shingen had discovered a plot against him led by his cousin Katanuma Nobumoto and in 1565 the one organized by his son Yoshinobu and Obu Toramasa. Two years later Yoshinbou died. Legend says that death is due either to illness or, as many believe, because Shingen had forced him to commit suicide. The event left Takeda’s servants uneasy.

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In 1564, Shingen had subdued all of Shinano and turned his attention to Kōzuke, where he took a number of castles from the Uesugi clan. For the next five years, he limited himself to raids and local conquests, focusing on internal affairs.
In 1560, Shingen’s greatest achievement was the Damji River Damming project. The benefit of the Fuji river project is considered one of the greatest national initiatives of the sixteenth century.

In 1568, Takeda’s army was on the move again, this time south against Imagawa. The daimyo of that clan was Ujizane, the incompetent son of the late Imagawa Yoshimoto (killed in 1560 by Oda Nobunaga). Yoshinobu, son of Shingen, had married Ujizane’s sister, but after her suicide in 1567, relations between the families had increased. It would appear that Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu had entered into an agreement under which the two would divide the remaining lands of Imagawa (Tōtōmi and Suruga). However, this agreement was never completed. Furthermore, Sagami’s Hōjō did not see this shift in the balance of power. Because of this, he sent troops to challenge Shingen. In 1569 Shingen responded by invading Sagami and besieging Odawara (the capital of Hōjō). However, on the way back to Kai, the Takeda army managed to crush an attempted ambush by Mimasetoge of Hōjō.

Thus, in 1570, the lands of Takeda included Kai, Shinano, Suruga and pieces of Kozuke, Tōtōmi, and Hida. Shingen, at 49, was now more than a regional power. Takeda Shingen was in fact the most important warlord east of Mino. Moreover, he was the only one able to derail Oda Nobunaga’s march to national hegemony. Only Shingen had the strategic position and the armed forces to stop it.

In 1570 the formidable Hōjō Ujiyasu died and his heir, Ujimasa, made peace with Shingen. This was an act that could have ensured Tokugawa Ieyasu final destruction. However, Shingen died in 1573 sending the plans into smoke.

The Takeda clan allies with the Oda clan

Meanwhile, the Takeda and Oda, aimed at controlling the Uesugi clan. After a failed diplomatic courtship, they started a war of words with the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Shingen intensified the pressure against Tokugawa and in 1572 launched an attack on Tōtōmi which led to the capture of Futamata. The following January, Shingen returned to the province and attracted Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Mikatagahara. Conducted on January 6 north of Hamamatsu, it ended with an almost complete defeat for Ieyasu.

Although they were often presented as initial moves in a march on Kyoto, Shingen’s intentions were undoubtedly more conservative. Probably, Takeda Shingen aimed to test the answers of both Ieyasu and Nobunaga and, if possible, inflict a defeat on the two. In any case, within a few days of winning the battle, he received the news that Asakura Yoshikage had chosen not to oppose to Nobunaga. Shingen was sorry and could count on Yoshikage to maintain the tension on Nobunaga. This may have played a part in his decision to return to Kai, thus granting a truce to the bloody Tokugawa.

The figure of Takeda Shingen

Shingen was a complicated figure, sometimes absolutely cruel. At the beginning of his life, he had forced Suwa Yorishige to commit suicide (or murdered him) after the two warlords had signed a peace treaty. He then took Suwa’s daughter as a lover, ignoring the fact that she was technically his own niece.

Apparently, Shingen created Shingen Tsuba, (sword guard) also known as Takeda Tsuba. The story goes that while waiting for a battle to begin, Shingen wrapped the brass wire around a large iron sukashi to keep himself focused and able to think until the battle began. Because of this, many of his vassals followed Shingen’s leadership throughout the Edo period.

He is also credited with inventing the toilet drain, bathroom hygiene, apparently, was important to Shingen. He also built the vast dams known as Shingen Zutsumi along the Kamanashi segments of the Fuji river. These walls prevented flooding and were one of the largest and most ambitious national public works initiatives of the sixteenth century.

The well-considered laws of Shingen were not considered particularly severe. He suspended corporal punishment for most minor crimes. In fact, he adopted a system of financial fines, which earned him the respect and praise of the peasants and citizens of the province of Kai.
It is interesting to note that Shingen also had two large iron cauldrons in which to boil criminals still alive. Tokugawa Ieyasu, thinking that the punishment was excessively cruel, destroyed the cauldrons years later.

His economic reform was also innovative at the time. Indeed, Takeda Shingen taxed most of its subjects uniformly and allowed them the option of payments in gold or rice.

Takeda Shingen had planned on the districts of Mikawa and Owari (now both Aichi Prefecture). In 1571 he entered the territories of the Okudaira clan (later Tokugawa) and captured the castle of Noda.
In 1573, he invaded Mikawa and again attacked the castle of Noda. However, this time, the fortifications of the castle had been strengthened, allowing it to stand for several weeks.

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The death

On May 13, 1573, towards the end of the siege, just before the defenders of Noda Castle capitulated, Takeda Shingen was shot by a marksman. Shingen died during the escape.

The death of Takeda Shingen at the age of 49 remained a secret. The remains of the gun that was used to shoot Shingen are kept in the Shitagahara Museum in Nagashino, Aichi Prefecture. His son and successor, Takeda Katsuyori, was defeated by Oda and Tokugawa in the early 1580s, thus ending the power of the Takeda family.

Instead of a poem of death, he left the following words, borrowed from Zen literature: “It is largely left to its natural bodily perfection, and has no special need to resort to artificial coloring and powder to look beautiful. “[:]