Suwa Yorishige
Yorishige was a son of Suwa Yoritaka [諏訪頼隆] and succeeded his father when the latter died in 1539. He ruled the area about Lake Suwa in Shinano Province. In 1540 the Suwa and their rivals the Takeda of Kai Province made peace and Yorishige married the daughter of Takeda Nobutora, Nene. The following summer he joined Nobutora and Murakami Yoshikiyo in attacking Unno Munetsuna. Shortly after that, Nobutora was banished from Kai by his son, Harunobu, and the Takeda-Suwa alliance was rendered moot. Yorishige and Ogasawara Nagatoki joined forces to invade Kai but were repulsed by Harunobu. In 1542 the Takeda made a sudden attack that caught Yorishige by surprise and brought down both Uehara and Kuwabara within two days. Yorishige was brought back to Kai and confined at the Tôkoji in Kofu. He was forced to commit suicide along with his brother Yoritaka [頼高] on 1542/7/21, although he may possibly have been murdered. His daughter was taken as a concubine by Shingen and produced the eventual head of the Takeda, Takeda (Suwa) Katsuyori. His son was spared and was taken to Kai along with his mother. He eventually became known as Chôkyuu [長岌] and his eventual fate is unknown.
References
- Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005
- Sengoku Jinmei Jiten