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==The Dragon of Echigo==  

==The Dragon of Echigo==  

 

Uesugi Kenshin was born in February [[1530]] at Kasugayama in [[Echigo Province]], the 4th son of [[Nagao Tamekage]], a powerful warlord who was first an enemy and then a nominal vassal of the Yamaouchi-Uesugi. A leader of some note, Tamekage had in his youth defeated [[Uesugi Sadanori]] in [[1509]] at the [[Battle of Ichiburi]]. He had then been besieged at Nishihama ([[Etchu Province]]) by [[Uesugi Funayoshi]] and emerged victorious, killing Funayoshi in the process. In later years, Tamekage found himself confronted both with rebellious kokujin within [[Echigo Province|Echigo]] and the growing power of the Ikko-Ikki in the [[Hokuriku Province|Hokuriku]]. In 1530-[[1531|31]] a power struggle took place within the so-called ‘Peasant’s province’ of [[Kaga Province|Kaga]] that saw the nominal Shugo family, the Togashi, expelled once and for all and the Honganji assume the dominant political position. From this point on the Ikko became more aggressive in their relations with neighboring daimyo, and those who opposed the Honganji were liable to suffer internal difficulties in the form of riots or even armed attacks. This was nowhere more the case then in Echigo, prompting Nagao Tamekage in [[1536]] to raise an army and march westward, possibly in the hopes of reaching Kaga. A fierce battle took place at [[Battle of Sendanno|Sendanno]] in Etchu that left Tamekage dead and his army defeated.1 It was one of the Kaga Ikko’s greatest triumphs and disastrous to the stability of Echigo. Leadership of the Nagao fell to Tamekage’s eldest son, Harukage, whose cause was forwarded by a number of important Nagao retainers. A power struggle ensued, in the course of which another of Tamekage’s sons, Kageyasu, was killed. The youngest son was spirited away to the [[Rizen-ji Province|Rizen-ji]], where he studied from the age of 7 to 14.  

Uesugi Kenshin was born in February [[1530]] at Kasugayama in [[Echigo Province]], the 4th son of [[Nagao Tamekage]], a powerful warlord who was first an enemy and then a nominal vassal of the Yamaouchi-Uesugi. A leader of some note, Tamekage had in his youth defeated [[Uesugi Sadanori]] in [[1509]] at the [[Battle of Ichiburi]]. He had then been besieged at Nishihama ([[Etchu Province]]) by [[Uesugi Funayoshi]] and emerged victorious, killing Funayoshi in the process. In later years, Tamekage found himself confronted both with rebellious kokujin within [[Echigo Province|Echigo]] and the growing power of the Ikko-Ikki in the [[Hokuriku Province|Hokuriku]]. In 1530-[[1531|31]] a power struggle took place within the so-called ‘Peasant’s province’ of [[Kaga Province|Kaga]] that saw the nominal Shugo family, the Togashi, expelled once and for all and the Honganji assume the dominant political position. From this point on the Ikko became more aggressive in their relations with neighboring daimyo, and those who opposed the Honganji were liable to suffer internal difficulties in the form of riots or even armed attacks. This was nowhere more the case then in Echigo, prompting Nagao Tamekage in [[1536]] to raise an army and march westward, possibly in the hopes of reaching Kaga. A fierce battle took place at [[Battle of Sendanno|Sendanno]] in Etchu that left Tamekage dead and his army defeated.1 It was one of the Kaga Ikko’s greatest triumphs and disastrous to the stability of Echigo. Leadership of the Nagao fell to Tamekage’s eldest son, Harukage, whose cause was forwarded by a number of important Nagao retainers. A power struggle ensued, in the course of which another of Tamekage’s sons, Kageyasu, was killed. The youngest son was spirited away to the [[Rizen-ji Province|Rizen-ji]], where he studied from the age of 7 to 14.  

It should be mentioned here that as much as Kenshin may have liked to fight, he also worked hard to increase the economic strength of Echigo. He pursued a number of initiatives designed to stimulate trade, including making the most of Echigo’s lucrative hemp trade, building [[Kasugayama Castle]] (which acted as his headquarters and a prosperous castle town) and in [[1564]] revitalizing the seaport of Kashiwazaki. Like many daimyo, Kenshin offered merchants special privileges, including tax reductions, to entice them to do business in his domain.  

It should be mentioned here that as much as Kenshin may have liked to fight, he also worked hard to increase the economic strength of Echigo. He pursued a number of initiatives designed to stimulate trade, including making the most of Echigo’s lucrative hemp trade, building [[Kasugayama Castle]] (which acted as his headquarters and a prosperous castle town) and in [[1564]] revitalizing the seaport of Kashiwazaki. Like many daimyo, Kenshin offered merchants special privileges, including tax reductions, to entice them to do business in his domain.  

By [[1576]] Kenshin had finally begun to look westward. In [[1565]] [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]] had asked him to come to Kyoto and drive out Shogun Yoshiteru’s murderers, a request Kenshin had been in no position to fulfill in those days. Now, with both Takeda Shingen and [[Hojo Ujiyasu dead]], Kenshin could consider an expansion in the direction of the capital. At this time, the capital and all the land around it was controlled by [[Oda Nobunaga]], the rising ‘super-daimyo’ who had been the one to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki into the shogunate in [[1568]]. Afterwards, Nobunaga had courted Kenshin’s favor with a series of gifts and letters that resulted in a pact against Takeda Shingen. Among the gifts Nobunaga sent to Kenshin were a pair of screens depicting life in Kyoto, known as the Rakuchu rakugai zu, which would later assist historians in gathering a sense of life in the capital at the time.  

By [[1576]] Kenshin had finally begun to look westward. In [[1565]] [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]] had asked him to come to Kyoto and drive out Shogun Yoshiteru’s murderers, a request Kenshin had been in no position to fulfill in those days. Now, with both Takeda Shingen and [[Hojo Ujiyasu dead]], Kenshin could consider an expansion in the direction of the capital. At this time, the capital and all the land around it was controlled by [[Oda Nobunaga]], the rising ‘super-daimyo’ who had been the one to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki into the shogunate in [[1568]]. Afterwards, Nobunaga had courted Kenshin’s favor with a series of gifts and letters that resulted in a pact against Takeda Shingen. Among the gifts Nobunaga sent to Kenshin were a pair of screens depicting life in Kyoto, known as the Rakuchu rakugai zu, which would later assist historians in gathering a sense of life in the capital at the time.