Summary

The battles of Kawanakajima (川中島の戦い Kawanakajima no tatakai?) were fought during the Sengoku period of Japanese history between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province. The battles took place on the Kawanakajima Plain located in northern Shinano Province, a place corresponding to the southern part of today's Nagano City.

The five major battles took place in 1553, 1555, 1557, 1561 and 1564; the most well-known and bitter of these, the fourth, took place on September 10, 1561.

The battles began after Takeda Shingen conquered Shinano province, forcing Murakami Yoshikiyo and Ogasawara Nagatoki to flee, who, needing help, allied with Uesugi Kenshin.

Takeda Shingen's interest in Shinano province began as early as 1536 when, under orders from his father Takeda Nobutora, he tried to seize Umi no Kuchi in the valley near Saku. The gradual conquest of the southern part of Shinano in a series of victorious campaigns will take him further north, provoking the obligatory intervention of Uesugi Kenshin.

Suwa Campaign, 1542 - 1544

In 1542, Takeda Shingen decided to attack the region near Lake Suwa. The area is under the control of his brother-in-law, Suwa Yorishige, but is formally independent. On the other side, several daimyō of Shinano decide to ally with Yorishige and begin marching toward Kai province along the Suwa valley; the result is the Battle of Sezawa, from which Takeda Shingen emerges victorious. On the strength of his victory, Shingen resumed the initiative and in a short time was able to conquer much of the region. His fiercest opponent will be Takatō Yoritsugu, at first his ally, but who later tries to take control of the Suwa region on his own. In 1544 the last stronghold in the region fell and with it any further resistance.

Saku campaign, 1543 - 1547

Taking as a pretext the defection of one of his allies in the Saku Valley (Oi Sadataka, lord of Nagabuko Castle), Takeda Shingen attacks this region with his army, and succeeds in conquering all of the valley despite the heroic resistance and intervention of the daimyō of nearby Kozuke Province, a vassal of the Uesugi Clan. The Shiga fortress falls in September 1546, a fact that will enable Shingen to control much of the Saku valley.

The consolidation of position in the region brings Shingen into direct contact (and consequently conflict) with Murakami Yoshikiyo, the most powerful daimyō of Shinano. The first campaign proves a failure: on March 23, 1548, he is defeated at the Battle of Uedahara and his troops beat a retreat.

Another daimyō, Ogasawara Nagatoki, took advantage of Shingen's troubles to take up arms and attack the Lake Suwa region; he was defeated in May 1548 at the Battle of Shiojiritōge, at the end of which he was forced to retreat and leave Shingen free to regain control over the region. Takeda's advance into the Saku Valley, however, was halted.

Campaigns against Murakami Yoshikiyo, 1550 - 1553

This campaign begins in the Suwa Lake region, where Shingen's troops crush Ogasawara Nagatoki: the latter is forced to flee and seek refuge with Murakami Yoshikiyo. Shingen meticulously plans his attack from the Suwa region and, in the autumn of 1550, passes Daimon Hill. A series of skirmishes and minor clashes occur around the key position of Toishi Castle garrisoned by Yoshikyo's army, but for the second time in a row, Shingen is forced to retreat and his army only narrowly manages to avoid annihilation.

Despite the situation turning against him, Shingen launched a third offensive in the spring of 1551. This time Toishi Castle fell, and this new strategic position allowed Shingen to secure control of the rest of the region. It would take two more years of fighting and several battles, however, to make this control total. By 1553 almost the entire Saku Valley is under the control of Takeda Shingen.

Shingen's next step is to advance along the Saku Valley to take possession of the rich lands located near the union of the Sai River with the Chikuma River; this triangle of land between the two waterways is named Kawanakajima.

Following his defeat, Murakami Yoshikyo takes refuge with Uesugi Kenshin, asking him for help and pointing out that Takeda Shingen's armies are now at the gates of his territory.

Realizing the importance of acting quickly to counter his new neighbor's ambitions, Kenshin gathers an army and immediately marches toward Shingen, who is still busy fighting the remaining troops of Yoshikyo's army. Arriving from the road bordering Lake Nojiri, Kenshin heads for the Kawanakajima Plain and clashes with the enemy in the vicinity of a ford near a temple dedicated to Hachiman, a Shinto deity of war. The clash, which is modest in scale, allows Kenshin to assert his superiority. Kenshin then directs his army toward Chikuma with the intent of attacking Katsurao Castle (formerly the stronghold of Murakami Yoshikyo). The fortress proves too difficult to conquer and Kenshin must give up.

Meanwhile, Shingen, not yet ready to face Kenshin directly, gathers his army near Fukashi Castle in the west and waits there for three months for the time to counterattack; feeling ready, he marches to Shioda Castle in which Murakami Yoshikyo had taken refuge. Within a few days (between September 8 and 12, 1553), Shingen took control of all the castles in the area, again forcing Yoshikyo to flee. The rest of the campaign is not well known, but it appears that Shingen resumed his advance northward and toward Kawanakajima, facing Kenshin directly first at Fuse(in what is considered the first battle of Kawanakajima) and then again near Hachiman Temple. These two battles are apparently regarded as Kenshin's victories, though not decisive. This is followed by a series of raids and looting in the valley, interrupted by the arrival of winter in which the two generals cease hostilities.

No major offensive is recorded in the winter of 1553 and the following year: Kenshin fortifies access to Kawanakajima from Lake Nojiri, building Katsurayama Castle and Motodoriyama Castle on the hills of the same name; Shingen concludes the conquest of the Ina Valley adjacent to Lake Suwa to strengthen his rear.

In preparation for the battle of 1555, Shingen, through one of his vassals, launched an offensive along the Itoi Valley; although not a strategic location, this valley extends northward reaching as far as the Sea of Japan and its possession may pose a threat to the capital of Echigo Province, ruled by Kenshin.

In response, Kenshin decides to launch the offensive directly at Kawanakajima and his army is moved to the foot of the mountain overlooking the valley east of Zenkō-ji, one of the holiest Buddhist temples in Japan. Unfortunately for him, the Kurita clan, in support of Shingen, organizes the defenses of Asahiyama Castle nearby, consolidated by Shingen's dispatch of an additional force of 3,000 soldiers including archers and arquebusiers.

The main body of the Takeda army is stationed across the Sai River (犀川 Sai-gawa?) and confronts Kenshin's troops on August 4, 1555. The following four months the Second Battle of Kawanakajima takes place: a series of skirmishes, attacks and raids along the river; neither opponent manages to gain the upper hand, hampered by the Saigawa, which is a hundred meters wide in some sections.

With the coming of winter many samurai and ashigaru press to return to their lands, and the two rivals are forced to conclude a peace agreement on November 27. The only strategically important concession is the destruction of Asahiyama Castle.

With the destruction of Asahiyama Castle in the Second Battle of Kawanakajima, Takeda Shingen lacks a solid base to attack northern Shinano. He then decides to resume the offensive by concentrating his efforts on taking Katsurayama Castle (built 3 years earlier by Uesugi Kenshin). In March 1557, taking advantage of the recent snow blocking Kenshin, Shingen attacks the castle; the lack of water (of paramount importance since the castle does not have a spring or river within its walls) contributes to the fall of the fortress, which is in any case unusable, because shortly before the surrender the defenders set fire to the castle, burning it completely.

However, quickly taking advantage of the advantage he had gained, Shingen continued his advance toward the border: he captured Nagahama Castle on the shores of Lake Nojiri and moved his troops to Liyama Castle overlooking the Chikuma River Valley (千曲川 Chikuma-gawa?).

The situation for Kenshin becomes complicated: the border is under direct threat from Takeda forces, and the eventual capture of Liyama would mean the end of the Uesugi clan's presence in Shinano province. Kenshin decides to mobilize his troops and go on the offensive, making his goal clear: to force Shingen into a direct confrontation and defeat him once and for all. He decides not to move the army to render direct aid to Liyama Castle, but to head, as in the previous battle, to Zenkō-ji Temple, arriving there on May 19; he then gives orders to rebuild Asahiyama Castle and settles there with troops.

The situation evidently becomes complex: Kenshin finds himself surrounded by Shingen's troops but can rely on the protection provided by the castles of Asahiyama, Motodoriyama, and Liyama (which has not yet fallen). Shingen in turn can rely on the strongholds of Nagahama (isolated near the border), Katsurayama (near Zenkō-ji and opposite Asahiyama), and especially Kasturao, farther south, which is the main connection point. Kenshin's goal is to deceive Shingen by simulating a retreat toward Liyama along the Chikumagawa, to confront him by striking with troops from Motodoriyama on the flank, and with troops from Liyama on the opposing rear.

Unfortunately for him, Shingen does not move. In order to force him to fight, Kenshin makes several raids including one that sees him ascend almost as far as the Saku Valley. Shingen remains unperturbed; he is indeed preparing a major attack as a response, but in a different direction: the Itoi valley, located to the west, which offers a gateway to Echigo province and Kenshin's capital, Katsugayama. Launched in August, this attack will enable the capture of Otari Castle; Katsugayama is now no more than 20 kilometers away.

The offensive originally planned by Kenshin loses its usefulness, and the daimyō decides to retreat back to Liyama and return to Shinano; at the same time Shingen decides to advance against him with troops. Although this was the situation initially hoped for by Kenshin to engage in battle, in fact the clash turns out to be a series of minor skirmishes between rear guards.

The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima involved heavy troop losses on both sides as a percentage of total forces, remarkable when compared to any other battle of the Sengoku Period; it is considered one of the most tactically interesting battles of the time.

On September 25, 1561, Uesugi Kenshin left his castle at Kasugayama with 18,000 warriors, determined to destroy Takeda Shingen. He kept some of his forces at Zenkoji, but took up a position with the main contingent on Saijoyama, a mountain overlooking Kaizu Castle in Shingen's hands to the west. Although Kenshin was unaware of this, Kaizu Castle contained no more than 150 samurai, plus accompanying auxiliaries, and these were completely taken by surprise. The general in command of Kōsaka Castle Danjō Masanobu, however, through a signaling system with fires, managed to inform his lord located at Tsutsujigasaki Fortress in Kōfu, 130 km away, of Kenshin's move.

On September 27 Shingen then left Kōfu with 16,000 men, which would increase by an additional 4,000 on the journey through Shinano province; on October 3 he arrived at Kawanakajima on the west bank of the Chikumagawa (Chikuma River), keeping the river between him and Saijoyama. For 5 days none of the armies takes the initiative, it being clear that victory would require the essential element of surprise, thus allowing Shingen to enter Kaizu fortress with his own troops along with his gun-bugyō (the latter will work out a strategy that according to his plans would prove successful against Kenshin.

Kōsaka Danjo Masanobu leaves Kaizu with 8 000 men, advancing toward Saijoyama under cover of night; his intent is to push Kenshin's army toward the plain where Takeda Shingen awaits him with another 8 000 men in kakuyoku or "crane wing" formation. However, Kenshin, through both spies in Kaizu and scouts posted in Saijoyama, senses Shingen's intentions: he moves his men toward the plain by moving down the western flank of Saijoyama, creeping silently and using pieces of cloth to muffle the sound of horses' hooves. With the arrival of dawn on October 18, 1561, Shingen's men find Kenshin's army deployed and ready to charge, contrary to their plans.

Uesugi Kenshin's forces begin attacking in waves, in a formation called "Kuruma Gakari," in which each unit is replaced by another as soon as it becomes tired or suffers sufficient casualties. Leading Uesugi's avangaurdia is one of his historic twenty-eight generals, Kakizaki Kageie. Kakizaki's mounted samurai unit will clash with Takeda Nobushige's troops, resulting in the latter's unfortunate death. While the Kakuyoku formation holds the field surprisingly well, Takeda's commanders begin to fall, one by one. Seeing that his pincer tactics had failed, Yamamoto Kansuke decides to charge alone into the mass of Uesugi samurai, suffering more than 80 bullet wounds before retreating to a nearby hill and committing seppuku.

Eventually, Uesugi forces reach Takeda's command post and one of the most famous fights between two samurai in Japanese history, recounted in Kōyō Gunkan, ensued. Uesugi Kenshin himself bursts into the headquarters on horseback, attacking Takeda Shingen who, although caught off guard, manages to parry several blows with his fighting fan and hold off Kenshin until the arrival of vassal Hara Torayoshi, who wielding a pike manages to wound Kenshin's horse, forcing him to retreat.

Takeda's main force held out, despite Uesugi's fierce wave attacks: Obu Saburohei repulsed troops led by Kakizaki, and Anayama Nobukimi defeated troops from Echigo's Shibata clan, forcing Uesugi's main force back to the Chikumagawa.

Meanwhile, Kōsaka's troops, having reached the summit of Saijoyama and found the Uesugi post deserted, marched down the mountain to the river ford; they clashed with the 3,000 troops placed under the command of General Amakazu Kagemochi, defeating him, and advanced further to rush to the aid of the main body of the Takeda army, attacking the retreating Uesugi troops from behind.

At the end of the clash, several of Takeda's generals remained in the field, including his younger brother Takeda Nobushige and his uncle Murozumi Torasada; the Uesugi army suffered losses of around 3,000, while Takeda's army counted around 4,000 casualties. Chronicles of the time indicate that Takeda made no effort to counter the retreat of the Uesugi troops after the battle, who burned the camp at Saijoyama, returned to Zenkoji, and thence to Echigo Province.

In the following years, the confrontation between Kenshin and Shingen evolved on several other fronts. In 1564, Shingen succeeds in getting the Ashina clan of Mutsu province, near Echigo province, to join his cause. The new ally implements an offensive in Kenshin lands, coordinating with Shingen's attacks in Shinano province. The ultimate goal is to close in a pincer on Kenshin's capital, Kasugayama. On May 18, with the help of local rebel forces, Warigadake Castle on Lake Nojiri is captured; in the period to follow, Shingen's troops begin conducting raids into Echigo territories.

The Ashina clan's troops, however, are defeated by Kenshin, and the Takeda clan's strategy becomes unworkable because of the loss of its ally. Kenshin decides to move his army again toward Kawanakajima to counter Shingen: he recaptures Warigadake Castle and, on September 4, deploys his troops on the hill near Zenkō-ji.

Takeda Shingen decides not to take any initiative, and Kenshin, impatient, makes the first move toward the Saku Valley. In early October Shingen decides to intervene, and his army arrives from the west at Fukashi. Once again the great tactical skills developed by the two generals will not concede the dominance of one side: Kenshin's position is well defended, but Shingen will prevent him from carrying out any dangerous actions. After 60 days of fighting, Kenshin's retreat leaves the Kawanakajima region permanently in the hands of Takeda Shingen.

The rivalry between the two daimyō is covered in the Japanese film Heaven and Earth, which among other events also depicts the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima. This epic clash is also a key episode in several television series focusing on the life of Takeda Shingen, such as Fūrin Kazan.

Although the fourth battle of Kawanakajima is the most famous of the five fought, it is one of the earliest scenarios in the video game Samurai Warriors. In the 1-on-1 fight between Shingen and Kenshin, the weapon used by the former is an uchiwa dansen.

In the PC game Total War: Shogun 2, one of the historical battles is the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima.

Sources

1. Battles of Kawanakajima
2. Battaglie di Kawanakajima
3. ^ Kawanakajima 1553-64: Samurai power struggle Stephen Turnbull, Wayne Reynolds pag.26
4. ^ Ibid. pag.41
5. ^ Ibid. pag.42
6. ^ Ibid. pag.24
7. (en) Stephen Turnbull et Wayne Reynolds, Kawanakajima 155364 : Samurai Power Struggle, Oxford, Osprey Pub, 2003, 96 p. (ISBN 978-1-84603-652-1 et 978-1-472-80022-0, lire en ligne), p. 127
8. ^ Turnbull 2013, p. 11.
9. ^ a b c d Turnbull, Stephen (1987). Battles of the Samurai. Arms and Armour Press. pp. 41–56. ISBN 0-85368-826-5.
10. ^ Sato, Hiroaki (1995). Legends of the Samurai. Overlook Duckworth. pp. 214–220. ISBN 978-1-59020-730-7.
11. Sharpe, Michael (2009). Samurai Battles. New Jersey: Chartwell Books. p. 131-138. ISBN 978-0-7858-2379-7
12. SHARPE, Michael (2009). Samurai Battles. [S.l.: s.n.] p. 133