It was the height of the Sengoku Jidai (1467-1603), the terrible age when Japan’s imperial system nearly collapsed among feuding warlords. As powerful samurai families vied for supremacy one particular rivalry echoed through the centuries to be hailed as an indelible part of Japan’s national heritage. At the time of the Sengoku, two great houses, one led by a relentless military strategist and the other by a pious warrior, sought to expand their territory. The bitter struggle would drag on for 11 years.
The fourth battle of Kawanakajima opened with a ferocious Uesugi charge against the Takeda lines
Image source: Osprey
In the province of Shinano there was an empty plain called Kawanakajima where the Sai and Chikuma rivers met. It was over this terrain that the armies belonging to Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin faced each other on numerous occasions. The reason for their enmity was direct control of Shinano; the Takeda clan wanted it added to their domain while the Uesugi deemed it a useful buffer to protect their own province, Echigo. In 1555, the two armies even camped on opposite ends of Kawanakajima waiting several months for the perfect opportunity to conclude a siege. Despite the fact that the Takeda were on the defensive and had the advantage of possessing firearms, no decisive chance came and the armies withdrew at the onset of winter. Years passed, and in September 1861 Uesugi Kenshin was confident enough to once again mobilise his samurai and march from his fortress by the sea, Kasugayama. Echigo had prospered under his rule and he was well-regarded for his courage and loyalty. Born under the name Nagao Kagetora into a family of samurai retainers, the future Daimyo was made an honorary member of the Uesugi clan and adopted the name ‘Kenshin’ upon taking a Buddhist monk’s holy vows. Unlike many other warlords in the Sengoku era, he had no ambitions to vie for Kyoto, the imperial capital and seat of the Ashikaga Shogunate that had perished decades before. Instead, the best years of his life were spent thwarting his nemesis, Takeda Shingen.