The was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

clan active from the late

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...

. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of

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 ...

, one of the most famous rulers of the period.

History

Origin

The Takeda are descendants of the Emperor Seiwa (858–876), the 56th Emperor of Japan, and are a branch of the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

(

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto members, including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Yoritomo, ...

), by Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1056–1127), son of the '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988-1075), and brother to the famous Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039–1106). Minamoto no Yoshikiyo (1075–1149), son of Yoshimitsu, was the first to take the name of Takeda, which he took when his father granted him Takeda domain in

Hitachi Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...

; thereafter, he was known as Takeda Yoshikiyo.

Kamakura to early Azuchi–Momoyama periods

In the 12th century, at the end of the Heian period, the Takeda family-controlled Kai Province. Along with a number of other families, they supported their cousin

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

against the Taira clan in the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

(1180–85). When Yoritomo was first defeated at Ishibashiyama (1181), Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128–86) was applied for help, and the Takeda sent an army of 25,000 soldiers to support Yoritomo. Takeda Nobumitsu (1162–1248), son of Nobuyoshi, fought against the Taira, against Kiso Yoshinaka (1184), distinguished himself in the Battle of Ichinotani (1184), and was appointed '' Shugo'' (Governor) of Kai province. He also fought against the

Northern Fujiwara The Northern Fujiwara (奥州藤原氏 ''Ōshū Fujiwara-shi'') were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region (the northeast of Honshū) of Japan during the 12th century as their own realm.

(1189) and against

Wada Yoshimori was a Japanese samurai lord and ''gokenin'' of the early Kamakura period. He was the first director ('' bettō'') of the Board of Retainers in the Kamakura shogunate. Life Wada Yoshimori was born as the son of Miura Yoshiaki and grandson o ...

(1213). During the Jōkyū War, he helped the Hōjō, and led 50,000 soldiers as 'Daishogun of the Tosando' , and in reward received the governorship of Aki province (1221). Takeda Nobuhide (1413–40), eldest son of the Takeda Nobushige (1390–1465), Shugo of Aki, helped the 6th shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori (1394–1441) against the revolt of Isshiki Yoshitsura and was granted the governorship of Wakasa province (1440). Takeda Nobukata (1420–71) inherited the titles of Shugo of Wakasa from his brother Nobuhide, and that of Shugo of Aki from his father Nobushige. During the

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. ''Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era name, Japanese era during which the war started; the war ende ...

(1467–77) he occupied Tango province that belonged to Isshiki Yoshinao and received the governorship of Tango province (1469). His brother Takeda Kuninobu (1437–90) inherited the titles of Shugo of Aki, Wakasa, and Tango provinces, but lost Tango in 1474. Until the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, the Takeda were Shugo of the provinces of Kai (since Yoritomo), Aki (since 1221), and Wakasa (since 1440).

Sengoku period

Immediately prior to the Sengoku period, the Takeda helped to suppress the Rebellion of Uesugi Zenshū (1416–1417).

Uesugi Zenshū , also known as Uesugi Ujinori, was the chief advisor to Ashikaga Mochiuji, an enemy of the Ashikaga shogunate in feudal Japan. When he was rebuked by Mochiuji in 1415, and forced to resign, Zenshū organized a rebellion. Zenshū received aid ...

(d. 1417) was the '' kanrei'' chief advisor to Ashikaga Mochiuji, an enemy of the central Ashikaga shogunate and the Kantō kubō governor-general of the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

. Mochiuji, lord of the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its heigh ...

, made a reprisal against the Takeda clan in 1415. This reprisal began a rivalry between the Uesugi and Takeda clans which would last roughly 150 years until the destruction of the Takeda clan at the end of the

. While this rivalry existed, the Takeda and the Uesugi still had a huge amount of respect for one another.

Takeda Shingen

Takeda Harunobu (1521 – 1573) succeeded his father Nobutora in 1540 and became '' shugo'' lord of Kai Province in present-day

. In this period the Takeda began to quickly expand from their base in Kai Province. In 1559, Harunobu changed his name to the better-known Takeda Shingen. He faced the

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of '' shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this perio ...

a number of times, and most of his expansion was to the north, where he fought his most famous battles against

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (magnate). He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period ...

. This series of regional skirmishes is known as the

Battles of Kawanakajima The were a series of battles fought in the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province from 1553 to 1564. Shingen and Kenshin contested each other for control of the plain of Kawanak ...

. The battles began in 1553, and the best known and severest among them was fought on September 10, 1561. Shingen is famous for his tactical genius, and innovations, though some historians have argued that his tactics were not particularly impressive nor revolutionary. Nevertheless, Shingen is perhaps most famous for his use of the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

charge at the

Battle of Mikatagahara The took place during the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu in Hamamatsu, Mikatagahara, Tōtōmi Province on 25 January 1573. Shingen attacked Ieyasu at the plain of Mikatagahara north of Hamamatsu during hi ...

. The strength of Shingen's new tactic became so famous that the Takeda army came to be known as the ''Kiba Gundan'' (騎馬軍団), or 'mounted army'. Up until the mid-16th century and Shingen's rise to power, mounted ''samurai'' were primarily archers. There was already a trend at this time towards larger

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

-based armies, including a large number of foot archers. In order to defeat these missile troops, Shingen transformed his ''samurai'' from archers to

lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

Decline of the Takeda clan

Shingen died on May 13, 1573, at age 53 from illness. His son Takeda Katsuyori (1546–1582) effectively succeeded Shingen though the nominal head of the family was his grandson Takeda Nobukatsu; Katsuyori continued Shingen's aggressive expansion plan south and westward and was initially successful, briefly achieving the largest extent of Takeda rule. However, he was defeated in the

Battle of Nagashino The was a famous battle in History of Japan, Japanese history, fought in 1575 at Nagashino Castle, Nagashino in Mikawa Province (present-day Nagashino, Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture). The allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu (38,000) ...

in 1575 by

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

and

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

. After Nagashino, the Takeda clan fell into sharp decline as it had lost many of its most notable samurai during the battle. Katsuyori's position within the clan also became precarious (as he did not fully inherit the clan leadership position); in 1582, two of his relatives defected to the Oda/Tokugawa alliance and Nobunaga succeeded in destroying the Takeda clan shortly thereafter. The campaign saw most of the Takeda followers simply abandoning Katsuyori and the other Takeda family members to their fate. The clan was effectively eliminated, although descendants of the Takeda clan would take prominent positions in the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

, established in 1603.

Modern period

Takeda is also a fairly common family name in modern Japan, though it is unlikely that everyone with the Takeda name is descended from this noble house (several divisions of the family have the Takeda name). In fact, most of the real descendants of the Takeda had a different name when they created a cadet branch. It is also acknowledged that members of the clan married into other Japanese families. During the

Tokugawa period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, several ''daimyō'' families were direct descendants of the Takeda. In 1868, these ''daimyō'' families were : * The Matsumae, descendants of Takeda Nobuhiro (1431-1494), son of Takeda Nobukata (1420-1471) of the Aki Takeda. They were ''daimyō'' of Matsumae, the only feudal fief ('' han'') of

Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...

. * The Nanbu, descendants of Takeda Mitsuyuki (1165-1236), grandson of Takeda Kiyomitsu (1110-1168), established himself at Nambu ( Kai Province) and took that name. The Nambu were ''daimyō'' of Morioka, of Shichinohe and Hachinohe ( Mutsu Province). * The Yanagisawa, descendants of Takeda Nobunaga, a grandson of Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128-1186), were ''daimyō'' of Kōriyama (

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

), of Kurokawa and Mikkaichi (

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

). * The Yonekura, descendants of Takeda Kiyomitsu, settled at Koiwasuji Yonekura and took the name Yonekura. They were ''daimyō'' of Mutsuura Domain (Musashi province) * The Gotō, descendants of Takeda Nobuhiro, were ''daimyō'' of Gotō (the

Gotō Islands The are Japanese islands in the Sea of Japan. They are part of Nagasaki Prefecture. Geography There are 140 islands, including five main ones: , , , , and . The northernmost island is Ukujima. The group of islands runs approximately fr ...

Hizen Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of the Saga Prefecture, Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture, Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen Province, Ch ...

). * The Ogasawara are also a cadet branch of the Takeda, by Takeda Nagakiyo (1162–1242), grandson of Takeda Kiyomitsu (1110-1168), and the first to take the name of Ogasawara. His descendants were '' shugo'' (governors) of Shinano and Hida Provinces, and during the 16th century were at war with their Takeda cousins. In 1868, they were ''daimyō'' of

Kokura is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of modern Kitakyushu, Japan. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station, penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West. Ferries connect Kokura ...

, of Chikuza ( Buzen Province), of Ashi ( Harima Province), of Karatsu (Hizen Province), and of Katsuyama (Echizen Province). In 1868, two branches named Takeda were also ranked among the ''

Kōke A during the Edo period in Japan generally referred to the position of the "Master of Ceremonies", held by certain -less samurai ranking below a daimyō. Historically, or in a more general context, the term may refer to a family of old lineage a ...

'' (the High Families). This title was given to descendants of great dispossessed ''

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to ...

'' families of the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

such as the Takeda, the Kyōgoku, the Rokkaku, the Ōtomo, the Toki, the Isshiki and the Hatakeyama clans. They received a pension from the shogunate and had privileged missions confided to them.

Cadet branches

Three major cadet branches of the Takeda clan were established across Japan, along with several smaller branches. Due to the establishment of these cadet branches, the main Takeda clan in Kai Province is also referred to as the Kai Takeda clan.

Aki Takeda

The Aki Takeda clan, established in Aki Province in the present-day western part of Hiroshima Prefecture. Takeda Nobumitsu (1162–1248), Shugo of Kai, received the governorship of Aki province in 1221. Takeda Nobutake († 1362) was the last Takeda ''Shugo'' of the two provinces of Kai and Aki. His elder son Nobunari received Kai and the younger Ujinobu received Aki province.

Wakasa Takeda

The Aki Takeda was granted the governorship of Wakasa province in 1440. The Wakasa Takeda clan was established in Wakasa Province in present-day southern

Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...

, and separates from Aki province in 1500, when Takeda Motonobu (1461-1521) ruled Wakasa, while his uncle Takeda Mototsuna (1441-1505) ruled Aki. The Wakasa Takeda were known for their patronage of the arts and developing the Takeda school of military etiquette.

Kazusa Takeda

The Kazusa Takeda clan, established at the beginning of the Sengoku period in Kazusa Province in the present-day central area of

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

. Along with the Satomi clan of Awa Province in the southern part of present-day Chiba Prefecture the two clans replaced the dominance of the Chiba clan in the region. The Kazusa Takeda is also known as the Mariyatsu Takeda, a reference to their base of power, Mariyatsu Castle.

Clan literature

The ''Kōshū Hatto'', composed at some point in the 15th century, is the code of law of the Takeda family, while the ''

Kōyō Gunkan The is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kōsaka Danjō Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori. It provides some of the most detailed descriptions and statistics of wa ...

'', composed largely by Kōsaka Masanobu in the mid-16th century, is an

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

recording the family's history and Shingen's innovations in military tactics.

Notable figures of the Takeda clan

Among the notable members of the Takeda clan was Takeda Nobushige, who wrote the ''Kyujukyu Kakun'', which introduced the 99 rules for the clan members. Takeda Nobumitsu, who was a noted warrior under the Hojo shikken of Kamakura, became a monk and founded the Takeda family of Kai. Another important figure was Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, who developed the '' Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu/ Takeda-ryu''. Other noted members include Nobuyoshi, Nobutora, Harunobu (Shingen), Katsuyori, Matsuhime

Important members

* Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128–86) - Founder of the Takeda clan * Takeda Nobutora – Shingen's father *

– one of Japan's most famous warlords, Shingen expanded his domains greatly and became one of the major powers in the country for a time. * Takeda Katsuyori – Shingen's son, Katsuyori commanded his father's armies after his death, and saw the fall of the Takeda family. * Matsuhime – Shingen's daughter * Takeda Nobushige – Shingen's younger brother, who held their father's favor to be heir of the clan, continued to support his older brother throughout his life, he also wrote the ''Kyūjūkyū Kakun'', a set of 99 short rules for Takeda house members. * Motsugai Takeda - Japanese Zen priest and martial artist from the Edo period. Founder of the Fusen-ryū school of

jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

. * Takeda Sōkaku (1859–1943) - was the restorer of the Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu school of

jūjutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

, and the first to teach the art outside of the Takeda family.

Crests

*Four diamonds (pictured) *Four diamonds surrounded by a solid ring *Two cranes bowing their heads together *A centipede *Hanabishi (three vertical flowers) * Fūrinkazan (a battle standard with the writing: "風林火山", which literally means: "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain".) *The Tai (大) character

Popular culture

Takeda is a playable faction in '' Shogun: Total War'' and '' Shogun 2''. Takeda is a playable nation in '' Europa Universalis IV''. The Takeda clan in feudal Japan is in the manga and the anime of '' Inuyasha''. Takeda Shingen and his peasant

doppelgänger A doppelgänger ( ), sometimes spelled doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its own fleshly counterpart. In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly or p ...

are the main subjects of ''

Kagemusha is a 1980 epic jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is set in the Sengoku period of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class petty thief who is taught to impersonate the dying ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen to dissuade oppos ...

'', directed by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

. The character Miku Nakano from the anime and manga series '' The Quintessential Quintuplets'' is shown to have an obsession with Takeda Shingen. The Soldier in ''

Team Fortress 2 ''Team Fortress 2'' (''TF2'') is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation in 2007. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' Mod (video gaming), mod for ''Quake (video g ...

'' has a weapon called the Concheror that includes the Takeda clan's Kamon.{{cite web, url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Concheror, title=Conceror - Team Fortress 2 wiki, author=Valve, access-date=August 16, 2024 The Takeda Clan is the main enemy faction in '' Yasuke Simulator''.