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Nobutora was the eldest son of [[Takeda Nobutsuna]], the lord of [[Kai Province]]. His mother was from the [[Iwashita clan|Iwashita]] family. Nobutsuna, lord since 1491, died of illness in [[1507]] and Nobutora duly succeeded him at a time when the Takeda, and Kai itself, was politically fractured.  He was known at this time as Nobunao.  His uncle [[Takeda Nobue|Nobue]] challenged Nobutora's authority and fighting broke out between their two factions.  Nobutora attacked Nobue and his supporters the following year ([[1508]]) and in the course of the fighting Nobue and his his ally, [[Oyamada Nobutaka]], were killed.  However, other important families within Kai, including the [[Oi family|Ôi]] and [[Oyamada family|Oyamada]], now led by [[Oyamada Nobuari]], continued to oppose him.  Nobutora forced the submission of the Oyamada in 1510 and the following year married a daughter to Nobuari.  However, the Ôi of southern Kai were supported by the [[Imagawa clan|Imagawa]] family of [[Suruga province|Suruga]] and proved more formidable.  In 1517, however, [[Imagawa Ujichika]] withdrew his troops from Kai and [[Oi Nobusato|Ôi Nobusato]] was compelled to come to terms with Nobutora.  Nobutora married Nobusato's daughter and this union would produce four of Nobutora's sons: Harunobu (Shingen), Nobushige, Nobutomo, and Nobukado.  In 1530 he was to take the widow of [[Uesugi Norifusa]] as a concubine.  Additionally, he was to maintain concubines from the Imai, Kudo, Kusuura, and Matsuo families.

Nobutora was the eldest son of [[Takeda Nobutsuna]], the lord of [[Kai Province]]. His mother was from the [[Iwashita clan|Iwashita]] family. Nobutsuna, lord since 1491, died of illness in [[1507]] and Nobutora duly succeeded him at a time when the Takeda, and Kai itself, was politically fractured.  He was known at this time as Nobunao.  His uncle [[Takeda Nobue|Nobue]] challenged Nobutora's authority and fighting broke out between their two factions.  Nobutora attacked Nobue and his supporters the following year ([[1508]]) and in the course of the fighting Nobue and his his ally, [[Oyamada Nobutaka]], were killed.  However, other important families within Kai, including the [[Oi family|Ôi]] and [[Oyamada family|Oyamada]], now led by [[Oyamada Nobuari]], continued to oppose him.  Nobutora forced the submission of the Oyamada in 1510 and the following year married a daughter to Nobuari.  However, the Ôi of southern Kai were supported by the [[Imagawa clan|Imagawa]] family of [[Suruga province|Suruga]] and proved more formidable.  In 1517, however, [[Imagawa Ujichika]] withdrew his troops from Kai and [[Oi Nobusato|Ôi Nobusato]] was compelled to come to terms with Nobutora.  Nobutora married Nobusato's daughter and this union would produce four of Nobutora's sons: Harunobu (Shingen), Nobushige, Nobutomo, and Nobukado.  In 1530 he was to take the widow of [[Uesugi Norifusa]] as a concubine.  Additionally, he was to maintain concubines from the Imai, Kudo, Kusuura, and Matsuo families.

   

   

In 1519 Nobutora established the center of the Takeda clan at [[Tsutsujigaseki]] [躑躅ヶ崎館] in Fuchu.  This moated mansion complex would remain the center of the Takeda clan for the next sixty years, until [[Takeda Katsuyori]] moved the family to Nirayama.  In [[1521]], Ôi Nobusato again defied his authority and war broke out.  Imagawa Ujichika came to Nobusato's support once more and ordered his retainer [[Kushima Masanari]] to launch an attack into Kai.  Nobutora defeated Masashige at Iidagawara and afterwards Nobusato submitted, retired and became a monk.  Around this time Nobutora's eldest son, the future Shingen, was born.   

In 1519 Nobutora established the center of the Takeda clan at [[Tsutsujigaseki]] [躑躅ヶ崎館] in Kôfu.  This moated mansion complex would remain the center of the Takeda clan for the next sixty years, until [[Takeda Katsuyori]] moved the family to Nirayama.  In [[1521]], Ôi Nobusato again defied his authority and war broke out.  Imagawa Ujichika came to Nobusato's support once more and ordered his retainer [[Kushima Masanari]] to launch an attack into Kai.  Nobutora defeated Masashige at Iidagawara and afterwards Nobusato submitted, retired and became a monk.  Around this time Nobutora's eldest son, the future Shingen, was born.   

Over the course of the next decade, Nobutora was at odds with the Imagawa, Hôjô, and a number of Shinano daimyô.  The latter at length banded together in an anti-Nobutora coalition that included the [[Suwa clan|Suwa]], the [[Imai clan|Imai]], the [[Hiraga Clan|Hiraga]] and others.  The Suwa, being at this time the strongest of them, was Nobutora's main antagonist.  In 1531 he defeated a coalition army near present-day Nirasaki but in 1535 found himself pressed on his southern borders by the Imagawa and Hôjô.  The following year he was granted a reprieve by the death of Imagawa Ujichika and the resulting battle for power within the Imagawa family.  Nobutora supported [[Imagawa Yoshimoto]]'s bid for leadership and when Yoshimoto emerged as the new daimyô he married Nobutora's eldest daughter.  In return, Yoshimoto acted as a go-between to arrange the marriage of Takeda Harunobu to the daughter of the court noble, [[Sanjo Kimiyori]].  Although the Takeda and Hôjô made peace, Nobutora's alliance with Yoshimoto split the Hôjô-Imagawa union and the two clans began fighting.  Meanwhile, with his southern borders secure, Nobutora attacked the domain of [[Hiraga Genshin]] in late 1536 and surrounded his castle of Umi no kuchi [海ノ口城].  The defenders resisted stoutly and when winter snows began to fall, Nobutora withdrew.  According to legend, it was Harunobu, commanding the rear guard, who opted to make a counter-march that caught the Hiraga men by surprise and led to their defeat and Genshin's death.  Whatever the truth of the story, the result of the campaign was the destruction of the Hiraga in the 2nd month of 1537.

Over the course of the next decade, Nobutora was at odds with the Imagawa, Hôjô, and a number of Shinano daimyô.  The latter at length banded together in an anti-Nobutora coalition that included the [[Suwa clan|Suwa]], the [[Imai clan|Imai]], the [[Hiraga Clan|Hiraga]] and others.  The Suwa, being at this time the strongest of them, was Nobutora's main antagonist.  In 1531 he defeated a coalition army near present-day Nirasaki but in 1535 found himself pressed on his southern borders by the Imagawa and Hôjô.  The following year he was granted a reprieve by the death of Imagawa Ujichika and the resulting battle for power within the Imagawa family.  Nobutora supported [[Imagawa Yoshimoto]]'s bid for leadership and when Yoshimoto emerged as the new daimyô he married Nobutora's eldest daughter.  In return, Yoshimoto acted as a go-between to arrange the marriage of Takeda Harunobu to the daughter of the court noble, [[Sanjo Kimiyori]].  Although the Takeda and Hôjô made peace, Nobutora's alliance with Yoshimoto split the Hôjô-Imagawa union and the two clans began fighting.  Meanwhile, with his southern borders secure, Nobutora attacked the domain of [[Hiraga Genshin]] in late 1536 and surrounded his castle of Umi no kuchi [海ノ口城].  The defenders resisted stoutly and when winter snows began to fall, Nobutora withdrew.  According to legend, it was Harunobu, commanding the rear guard, who opted to make a counter-march that caught the Hiraga men by surprise and led to their defeat and Genshin's death.  Whatever the truth of the story, the result of the campaign was the destruction of the Hiraga in the 2nd month of 1537.