Takeda Shingen

Takeda Shingen (December 1, 1521 - May 13, 1573), one of the most famous samurai warriors in history, was a preeminent daimyō in feudal Japan. He was known as the "Tiger of Kai" and was one of the most powerful daimyō with outstanding military status during the late Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord with exceptional military prowess.

According to Ken Pletcher( a senior editor for Encyclopædia Britannica with M.A. in Japanese studies), Takeda Harunobu was born into the strong Takeda clan of Shugo daimyo (military governors), who ruled Kai province (present-day Yamanashi prefecture), a hilly territory west of the Kantō Plain at the time. In 1541, he pushed his father, Takeda Nobutora, to step down as clan leader, and Harunobu took over. He quickly began expanding his family's territories northward into Shinano province (now Nagano prefecture) and other lands bordering Kai. In 1551, he was ordained as a priest and took the Buddhist name Shingen. Taking religious vows, on the other hand, had no effect on his engagement in worldly concerns.

Soon after, Takeda launched his rivalry with Uesugi for mastery of Kant. Despite the fact that their wars lasted more than a decade, Takeda rose to become one of the most prominent military leaders in east-central Japan. As such, he posed a threat to Oda Nobunaga, the powerful warrior who was striving to unify Japan under his authority, as well as Tokugawa Ieyasu, Oda's friend and the creator of the Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship).

In January 1573, Takeda beat a Tokugawa-led force near Hamamatsu (in present-day Shizuoka prefecture), and he made additional inroads into Tokugawa-controlled territory before succumbing to a terminal illness later that year. In the early 1580s, his son and successor, Takeda Katsuyori, was beaten by Oda and Tokugawa, effectively ending the Takeda family's hegemony. Among the many dramatizations of Takeda Shingen's life is the 1980 film Kagemusha ("The Shadow Warrior") by Japanese director Kurosawa Akira.

Japanese name: 武田 信玄

Born: December 2, 1520, in Kai Province, Japan
Died: May 13, 1573, in Mikawa Province, Japan

Nickname: claw of eye

Notable battles: Battle of Un no Kuchi, Battle of Sezawa, Siege of Uehara