was a retainer of the

Takeda family The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

. He was known as one of the "

Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen The Twenty-Four Generals (武田二十四将, ''Takeda Nijūshi-shō'') were just one of many historically famous groupings of battle commanders from Japan's Sengoku Period. These Twenty-Four were the most trusted companions of Takeda Shingen. A t ...

".Inoue, Yasushi. (2006)
''The Samurai banner of Furin Kazan,'' p. 7
His name is also seen with different ''

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

'' as 信形. Nobukata served under both

Takeda Nobutora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) who controlled the Province of Kai, and fought in a number of battles of the Sengoku period. He was the father and predecessor of the famous Takeda Shingen. Biography Nobutora’s son was Harunobu, la ...

and

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

and also was tasked with young Shingen.武家家伝_甘利氏
/ref>

Military life

In 1541 Nobutora, along with

Amari Torayasu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, and served the Takeda clan under Takeda Nobutora and Shingen. Amari was a ''shukurō'', or clan elder, following Shingen's accession to family headship and was one of "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda S ...

, was driven out from the position of the head of Takeda clan, and he served as the general for Shingen often leading the troops into a battle when Shingen could not. In 1542, he would personally finish off Takato Yoritsugu at

Battle of Ankokuji The Battle of Ankokuji (安国寺の戦い) was a battle on 2 November 1542 during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. The battle of Ankokuji was a rather minor battle that took place after the fall of Fukuyo, in which Tozawa Yorichika ...

, shortly after the

Siege of Fukuyo The siege of Fukuyo was one of many steps taken by the Japanese feudal lord Takeda Shingen in his bid to seize control of Shinano Province. The fortress at Fukuyo lay in the Ina valley, south of Lake Suwa. Tozawa Yorichika, an ally of Takat� ...

. In 1545, he successfully besieged and captured Takato castle. In 1546, he defeated

Uesugi Norimasa was a ''daimyō'' of feudal Japan from Yamanouchi branch Uesugi clan and held the post of Kantō Kanrei, the ''shōgun''s deputy in the Kantō region. He was the adoptive father of Uesugi Kenshin, one of the most famous warlords in Japanese his ...

at Usui Toge in

Battle of Odaihara The 1547 Battle of Odaihara was one of a series of battles waged by Takeda Shingen in his long campaign to conquer Shinano province. In this particular encounter he was fighting the forces of Uesugi Norimasa, who was based in Echigo province but ...

. With these victories, he was instrumental in gaining the control of

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

and proved himself a skilled tactician. He was known as one of the "

". After these victories, Nobukata increasingly became selfish and started to hold victory ceremonies without firmly winning a battle. These victories rapidly became fewer. As Nobukata was the eldest of the Takeda retainers and having educated Shingen, few could criticize his actions. In 1547, during Siege of Shika Castle, Nobukata and his troops were almost completely wiped out in a battle and without a timely rescue by

Hara Toratane was a Japanese samurai lord of the Sengoku period. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen The Twenty-Four Generals (武田二十四将, ''Takeda Nijūshi-shō'') were just one of many historically famous groupings of ...

, Nobukata himself would have been in danger as well. Shingen offered the following ''

waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

'' to Nobukata to encourage him to correct his act. In 1548, at the Battle of Uedahara, Nobutaka satisfied with a victory, had his troops stand down to hold a ceremony. Murakami Yoshikiyo's troops regrouped and counterattacked, killing Nobutaka and

Personal life

The Meiji era politician

Itagaki Taisuke Kazoku, Count Itagaki Taisuke (板垣退助, 21 May 1837 – 16 July 1919) was a Japanese samurai, politician, and leader of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動, ''Jiyū Minken Undō''), which evolved into Japan's firs ...

was Nobukata's direct descendant, 12 generations removed. :''Dare mo Miyo Mitsureba Yagate Kaku Tsuki no Izayofu Ana ya Hito no Yo no Naka'' :誰もみよ満つればやがて欠く月の十六夜ふ穴や人の世の中 :(Translation) "Everyone sees that even a beautiful full moon starts to change its shape, becoming smaller as the time passes. Even in our human lives, things are as it is."

In fiction

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

's 2007

Taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...

Fūrinkazan is a popularized version of the battle standard used by the Sengoku period ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen. The banner quoted four phrases from Sun Tzu's ''The Art of War'': "as swift as wind, as gentle as forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakable ...

'', Itagaki is played by

Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later to an international audience. Born in Fukuo ...

. Like in the novel it was adapted from, Nobukata was portrayed more heroically, supposedly the one who was trying to rein in the young Takeda Harunobu (Shingen) from his arrogance and chose to sacrifice himself so that Harunobu may survive the Battle of Uedahara.

Genealogy

Source "Kai Kokushi". Matsudaira Sadayoshi. 1814. Japan.(Aduchi-Momoyama period part) "Kwansei-choshu Shokafu". Hotta Masaatsu, Hayashi jyussai. 1799. Japan.(Aduchi-Momoyama period part) "Osamuraichu Senzogaki-keizucho"(Edo period part)

References

External links

"Legendary Takeda's 24 Generals" at Yamanashi-kankou.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Itagaki, Nobukata 1548 deaths Japanese warriors killed in battle Samurai Takeda retainers Year of birth unknown Deified Japanese men 1489 births