Description

One of the great and terrible personalities from the period of the ‘Warring States’ in Japanese history was Takeda Shingen – a man famous for military prowess as well as a skilled and often ruthless ruler.
Born the oldest son of Katsuyori Takeda in 1521, Shingen’s turbulent career began early by deposing his father in 1541, fearing his own displacement by his younger brother. Taking the reins of power, Shingen continued his father’s territorial expansion policy. The expansion led to a direct confrontation with the armies of Uesugi Kenshin. Wars between these two exceptional warrior generals would continue for some thirty years.
In 1568 while engaged in warfare against the Hojo clan, Shingen became a Buddist monk, taking the name Shingen, by which he is generally known.
Obu Nobunaga’s growing power led to Shingen’s army facing the forces of Nobunaga’s ally Ieyasu Tokugawa. They fought two battles. Shingen won the first but lost the second — and his life in 1573.