Takeda clan (Kai)

The Takeda of Kai province were founded by Takeda Yoshikiyo, a nephew of Minamoto Yoshiie, and loyally served Minamoto Yoritomo. They ruled Kai from the time of Takeda Nobuyoshi (1138-1186) until their fall at the hands of Oda Nobunaga in 1582. The Takeda had suffered a period of internal unease, first punctuated by the rebellion of Atobe Kageie in 1465. In 1472 Takeda Nobumasa defeated an army led by allied Shinano warlords and through this did much to reestablish the authority of the Takeda as rulers of Kai. In fact, the Takeda would be forced to contend with the numerous warlords of Shinano for many years. By 1519 Takeda Nobutora had quelled all resistance within Kai to the Takeda's leadership and under Takeda Shingen the family enjoyed its height, extending its control over Shinano and Suruga, as well as parts of Kôzuke, Tôtômi, and Hida Provinces. After Takeda Katsuyori suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, the offensive potency of the Takeda was drastically reduced. Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the victors at Nagashino, invaded the Takeda domain in 1582 and the Takeda were destroyed as daimyô. Certain collateral branches of the Takeda survived into the Edo Period though none enjoyed any significant power.