Changes

In [[1551]], Harunobu had adopted the name Shingen and a monk's habit, adding even more color to this up-and-coming Sengoku warlord, who was already known for his taste for women, penetrating judgment, skill at calligraphy, and wise government. Perhaps all that was now required was a great rival. This came, too, in the form of Uesugi Terutora of Echigo - the famed Kenshin.  

In [[1551]], Harunobu had adopted the name Shingen and a monk's habit, adding even more color to this up-and-coming Sengoku warlord, who was already known for his taste for women, penetrating judgment, skill at calligraphy, and wise government. Perhaps all that was now required was a great rival. This came, too, in the form of Uesugi Terutora of Echigo - the famed Kenshin.  

[[Image:Takeda_shingen2.jpg||thumb|left|Another view of Takeda Shingen, from H. Cook’s ‘Samurai.’]]

[[Image:Takeda_shingen2.jpg||thumb|left|Another view of Takeda Shingen, by artist [[Utagawa Kuniyoshi]]]]

According to tradition, the defeated Murakami and Ogasawara presented themselves before Terutora and protested Shingen's aggressions. Terutora, uneasy at Shingen's northern expansion and obligated to the two refugees, took the field. That Murakami figures into the Uesugi's roll even many years later gives some substance to this belief, and, certainly, Terutora had reason to worry about Echigo's borders. In June and October [[1553]] The Takeda and Uesugi armies clashed near the Kawanakajima plain in northern Shinano, and while the two sides withdrew after a few rounds of inconclusive skirmishing, a legend was born. In total, the Takeda and Uesugi would face each other at the Kawanakajima five times ([[1554]], [[1555]], [[1557]], [[1561]], [[1564]]) and while not exactly the nearly annual staring matches as they are sometimes portrayed, only the 4th (1561) resulted in an all-out contest.<ref>Shingen also had to keep an eye on both the Imagawa and Hôjô clans to his south and southeast, which no doubt contributed to the caution he generally displayed when facing Kenshin at Kawanakajima. During the 1550's the Takeda, Imagawa, and Hôjô became involved in a series of alliances and counter-alliances that occasionally resulted in minor forays into one another's territory. These almost always came to an end when the clan that happened to hold third-party status at the time declared for the attacked, thus maintaining he balance.</ref> In that engagement, both sides suffered heavy losses and while not individually decisive, those losses no doubt slowed both warlords down for some years. In particular, Shingen must have felt the loss of Nobushige and [[Yamamoto Kansuke]], both killed in action at the battle.  

According to tradition, the defeated Murakami and Ogasawara presented themselves before Terutora and protested Shingen's aggressions. Terutora, uneasy at Shingen's northern expansion and obligated to the two refugees, took the field. That Murakami figures into the Uesugi's roll even many years later gives some substance to this belief, and, certainly, Terutora had reason to worry about Echigo's borders. In June and October [[1553]] The Takeda and Uesugi armies clashed near the Kawanakajima plain in northern Shinano, and while the two sides withdrew after a few rounds of inconclusive skirmishing, a legend was born. In total, the Takeda and Uesugi would face each other at the Kawanakajima five times ([[1554]], [[1555]], [[1557]], [[1561]], [[1564]]) and while not exactly the nearly annual staring matches as they are sometimes portrayed, only the 4th (1561) resulted in an all-out contest.<ref>Shingen also had to keep an eye on both the Imagawa and Hôjô clans to his south and southeast, which no doubt contributed to the caution he generally displayed when facing Kenshin at Kawanakajima. During the 1550's the Takeda, Imagawa, and Hôjô became involved in a series of alliances and counter-alliances that occasionally resulted in minor forays into one another's territory. These almost always came to an end when the clan that happened to hold third-party status at the time declared for the attacked, thus maintaining he balance.</ref> In that engagement, both sides suffered heavy losses and while not individually decisive, those losses no doubt slowed both warlords down for some years. In particular, Shingen must have felt the loss of Nobushige and [[Yamamoto Kansuke]], both killed in action at the battle.