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[[Image:Takeda_shingen.gif||thumb|left|The most famous portrait of Takeda Shingen, the authenticity of which has been questioned.  Certain scholars have suggested that this was in fact a painting of a Hatakeyama lord from Noto province.]]

[[Image:Takeda_shingen.gif||thumb|left|The most famous portrait of Takeda Shingen, the authenticity of which has been questioned.  Certain scholars have suggested that this was in fact a painting of a Hatakeyama lord from Noto province.]]

Takeda Shingen was the eldest son of the aggressive warlord [[Takeda Nobutora]] ([[1493]]-1573).<ref>The Takeda clan had been powerful in Kai from the 12th Century, when Takeda Nobuyoshi (a grandson of Minamoto Yoshiie's brother Yoshimitsu, 1138-1186) had sided with Minamoto Yoritomo during the Gempei War. The Takeda's power had increased in the Ashikaga era, and branches became strong in Aki and Wakasa, as well as Kai. Mori Motonari eventually defeated the Aki branch in 1540; the Wakasa Takeda became vassals of the Asakura by 1560 and faded from history.  

Takeda Shingen was the eldest son of the aggressive warlord [[Takeda Nobutora]] ([[1493]]-1573).<ref>The Takeda clan had been powerful in Kai from the 12th Century, when Takeda Nobuyoshi (a grandson of Minamoto Yoshiie's brother Yoshimitsu, 1138-1186) had sided with Minamoto Yoritomo during the Gempei War. The Takeda's power had increased in the Ashikaga era, and branches became strong in Aki and Wakasa, as well as Kai. Mori Motonari eventually defeated the Aki branch in 1540; the Wakasa Takeda became vassals of the Asakura by 1560 and faded from history.  

</ref>Takeda Nobutora had secured the position of the Takeda in [[Kai province|Kai]] after various struggles and established the Takeda capital at [[Tsutsujigaseki]] in Fuchu in [[1519]]. In the course of his career Nobutora clashed with various outside powers, including the Hôjô of [[Sagami province|Sagami Province]], the Imagawa of [[Suruga province|Suruga Province]] and the [[Suwa clan|Suwa]] and [[Imai clan|Imai]] of [[Shinano province|Shinano Province]].  In 1521, Nobutora was compelled to fend off an invasion from Suruga led by [[Kushima Masanari]] in support of the [[Oi clan|Ôi]] family, who had defied Nobutora's authority. Nobutora sent his pregnant wife, the daughter of Oi Nobutatsu, from the Tsutsujigaseki mansion to [[Yogaiyama Castle]] [要害山城].  Word came to Nobutora, commanding his army against Kushima's 15,000-man host, that a son had been born.  Nobutora defeated Masanari at the [[Battle of Iidagawara]] and afterwards named his son Katsuchiyo.<ref>Katsuchiyo can be translated as '1000 Victories in Succession', or, as Hiroaki Sato does in Legends of the Samurai, 'Victory Forever'.</ref>  

</ref>Takeda Nobutora had secured the position of the Takeda in [[Kai province|Kai]] after various struggles and established the Takeda capital at [[Tsutsujigasaki yakata|Tsutsujigasaki]] in Fuchu (Kôfu) in [[1519]]. In the course of his career Nobutora clashed with various outside powers, including the Hôjô of [[Sagami province|Sagami Province]], the Imagawa of [[Suruga province|Suruga Province]] and the [[Suwa clan|Suwa]] and [[Imai clan|Imai]] of [[Shinano province|Shinano Province]].  In 1521, Nobutora was compelled to fend off an invasion from Suruga led by [[Kushima Masanari]] in support of the [[Oi clan|Ôi]] family, who had defied Nobutora's authority. Nobutora sent his pregnant wife, the daughter of Oi Nobusato, from the Tsutsujigaseki mansion to [[Yogaiyama castle]] [要害山城].  Word came to Nobutora, commanding his army against Kushima's 15,000-man host, that a son had been born.  Nobutora defeated Masanari at the [[Battle of Iidagawara]] and afterwards named his son Katsuchiyo.<ref>Katsuchiyo can be translated as '1000 Victories in Succession', or, as Hiroaki Sato does in Legends of the Samurai, 'Victory Forever'.</ref>  

In 1533, Nobutora arranged for him to marry the daughter of [[Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Tomooki]], who still held considerable lands in the [[Kanto]].  The girl died attempting to deliver Katsuchiyo's first child, however.  By this time Nobutora was at odds with both the Imagawa and Hôjô families and they were pressing him on his southern borders.  He was lucky in that [[Imagawa Ujichika]] died suddenly and a struggle for power ensued amongst his brothers.  Nobutora backed [[Imagawa Yoshimoto|Yoshimoto]], the eventual victor, and in the aftermath married a daughter to him.  In return, Yoshimoto acted as a go-between to arrange for the marriage of Katsuchiyo and the daughter of court noble [[Sanjo Kimiyori]].  Katsuchiyo celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony later that year and the shôgun, [[Ashikaga Yoshiharu]], sent permission for Katsuchiyo to incorporate 'Haru' in his adult name, and Katsuchiyo thus became known as Harunobu. He was also given the honorific title Shinano no Kami.  Despite this memorable coming of age ceremony, it would seem that Nobutora took a disliking to Harunobu in favor of his second son, Takeda Nobushige. The reasons for this  are not clear, and this part of Shingen's life has been heavily embellished over the centuries.   

In 1533, Nobutora arranged for him to marry the daughter of [[Uesugi Tomooki|Ôgigayatsu-Uesugi Tomooki]], who still held considerable lands in the [[Kanto]].  The girl died attempting to deliver Katsuchiyo's first child, however.  By this time Nobutora was at odds with both the Imagawa and Hôjô families and they were pressing him on his southern borders.  He was lucky in that [[Imagawa Ujichika]] died suddenly and a struggle for power ensued amongst his brothers.  Nobutora backed [[Imagawa Yoshimoto|Yoshimoto]], the eventual victor, and in the aftermath married a daughter to him.  In return, Yoshimoto acted as a go-between to arrange for the marriage of Katsuchiyo and the daughter of court noble [[Sanjo Kimiyori]].  Katsuchiyo celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony later that year and the shôgun, [[Ashikaga Yoshiharu]], sent permission for Katsuchiyo to incorporate 'Haru' in his adult name, and Katsuchiyo thus became known as Harunobu. He was also given the honorific title Shinano no Kami.  Despite this memorable coming of age ceremony, it would seem that Nobutora took a disliking to Harunobu in favor of his second son, Takeda Nobushige. The reasons for this  are not clear, and this part of Shingen's life has been heavily embellished over the centuries.   

Harunobu is thought to have seen his first campaign in [[1536]], when his father led an army against [[Hiraga Genshin]] of Shinano Province.  He surrounded and attacked Genshin's Umi no kuchi Castle [海ノ口城] but found the defenders unwilling to give and withdrew with the onset of heavy winter snows.  According to tradition, Harunobu, commanding the rearguard, decided to double back and launch a surprise attack.  This took the seemingly victorious Hiraga men by surprise and the battle went to the Takeda.  Whether or not this particular version of events has any basis in fact, Hiraga was defeated and killed in the 2nd month of [[1537]].

Harunobu is thought to have seen his first campaign in [[1536]], when his father led an army against [[Hiraga Genshin]] of Shinano Province.  He surrounded and attacked Genshin's Umi no kuchi Castle [海ノ口城] but found the defenders unwilling to give and withdrew with the onset of heavy winter snows.  According to tradition, Harunobu, commanding the rearguard, decided to double back and launch a surprise attack.  This took the seemingly victorious Hiraga men by surprise and the battle went to the Takeda.  Whether or not this particular version of events has any basis in fact, Hiraga was defeated and killed in the 2nd month of [[1537]].

==The Death of Shingen==

==The Death of Shingen==

Unfortunately, time ran out on the man who had come to epitomize the best and, in some ways, the worst qualities of the Sengoku warlord. In 1573, while laying siege to [[Noda castle]] in Mikawa, Shingen was either wounded by a sniper or fell sick (possibly with tuberculosis); a point modern scholars are divided on<ref>The [[Koyo Gunkan]] gives no indication that Shingen was ever wounded by a sniper at Noda castle.</ref>. He died at Kobama in Shinano on the night of the 12th day of the 4th month of 1573, to be succeded by his fourth son, [[Takeda Katsuyori]].  

Unfortunately, time ran out on the man who had come to epitomize the best and, in some ways, the worst qualities of the Sengoku warlord. In 1573, while laying siege to [[Noda castle]] in Mikawa, Shingen fell ill.  A popular tradition holds that a defending sniper shot him.  However, the [[Koyo Gunkan]] mentions that Shingen had been ill and records, ''On the 11th day of the 4th month around 1pm, Lord Shingen's condition took a turn for the worst. His pulse became extremely rapid. On the night of the 12th, approximately 9pm, he developed an [abscess/rash] in his mouth, and 5 or 6 of his teeth fell out. He gradually weakened.''<ref>the [[Koyo Gunkan]] gives no indication that Shingen was ever wounded by a sniper at Noda castle.</ref>.

 

He died at Komanba in Shinano on the night of the 12th day of the 4th month of 1573, to be succeeded by his fourth son, [[Takeda Katsuyori]].  

Shingen had been a warlord of great domestic skill and competent military leadership. He was a complicated figure, at times utterly cruel. Earlier in his life, he had forced [[Suwa Yorishige]] to commit suicide (or had him murdered) after the two warlords had signed a peace treaty, and then proceeded to take Suwa's daughter as a mistress, ignoring the fact that she was technically his own niece. In [[1565]], as mentioned above, he ordered his own son, Yoshinobu, confined to a temple and evidently made him commit suicide for treasonous activity, as well as the man who had once been his guardian, Obu Toramasa. His domestic policies demonstrate the duality of Takeda Shingen. On one hand, he kept two iron cauldrons on hand to boil alive certain criminals (a practice considered sufficiently cruel enough to provoke Tokugawa Ieyasu to have the cauldrons destroyed years later). On the other, he did away with corporal punishment for most minor offences, instituting in it's place a system of fines - an act that earned him considerable praise from the peasants and townspeople of Kai. Shingen's law was not considered overly harsh, and his was one of the few Sengoku Period administrations prior to [[1582]] to tax most of his subjects evenly (most exempted powerful samurai families and/or religious establishments) and with the option of payment in either gold or rice (a forerunner, in some ways, to the later Kandaka system).  

Shingen had been a warlord of great domestic skill and competent military leadership. He was a complicated figure, at times utterly cruel. Earlier in his life, he had forced [[Suwa Yorishige]] to commit suicide (or had him murdered) after the two warlords had signed a peace treaty, and then proceeded to take Suwa's daughter as a mistress, ignoring the fact that she was technically his own niece. In [[1565]], as mentioned above, he ordered his own son, Yoshinobu, confined to a temple and evidently made him commit suicide for treasonous activity, as well as the man who had once been his guardian, Obu Toramasa. His domestic policies demonstrate the duality of Takeda Shingen. On one hand, he kept two iron cauldrons on hand to boil alive certain criminals (a practice considered sufficiently cruel enough to provoke Tokugawa Ieyasu to have the cauldrons destroyed years later). On the other, he did away with corporal punishment for most minor offences, instituting in it's place a system of fines - an act that earned him considerable praise from the peasants and townspeople of Kai. Shingen's law was not considered overly harsh, and his was one of the few Sengoku Period administrations prior to [[1582]] to tax most of his subjects evenly (most exempted powerful samurai families and/or religious establishments) and with the option of payment in either gold or rice (a forerunner, in some ways, to the later Kandaka system).