Takeda clan

Family name
name = Takeda

The nihongo|Takeda|武田氏|Takeda-shi was a famous clan of "daimyō" (feudal lords) in Japan's late Heian Period to Sengoku period.

The Takeda were descendants of Emperor Seiwa (850-880) and are a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji), by Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1056-1127), brother to the "Chinjufu-shogun" Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039-1106). Minamoto no Yoshikiyo (+ 1163), son of Yoshimitsu, was the first to take the name of Takeda.

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 aided their cousin Minamoto no Yoritomo against the Taira clan in the Genpei War. When Minamoto no Yoritomo was first defeated at Ishibashiyama (1181), Takeda Nobuyoshi was applied for help and the Takeda sent an army of 20,000 men to support Yoritomo. Takeda Nobumitsu (1162-1248), helped the Hōjō during the Shōkyu War (1221) and in reward received the governorship of Aki province. Until the Sengoku period, the Takeda were "shugo" of Kai, Aki and Wakasa provincies. In 1415, they helped to suppress the rebellion of Uesugi Zenshū; Ashikaga Mochiuji, Uesugi's lord, and the man the rebellion was organized against, made a reprisal against the Takeda, thus beginning the rivalry between the Uesugi and Takeda families, which would last roughly 150 years.

Takeda Harunobu succeeded his father Nobutora in 1540, becoming lord of Kai, and quickly began to expand. In 1559, he changed his name to the better-known Takeda Shingen. Though he faced the Hōjō clan a number of times, most of his expansion was to the north, where he fought his most famous battles, against Uesugi Kenshin.

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 charge. 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-based armies, including a large number of foot archers. In order to defeat these missile troops, Shingen transformed his "samurai" from archers to lancers, and used the cavalry charge to devastating effect at the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1572. 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.'

Shingen died in 1573, at age 53, from illness [http://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Takeda_Shingen#The_Death_of_Shingen Takeda Shingen - SamuraiWiki ] ] . His less tactically talented son, Katsuyori, succeeded him, and was defeated in 1575, in the famous battle of Nagashino, by Oda Nobunaga.

The "Kōshū Hatto", composed at some point in the 15th century, is the code of law of the Takeda family, while the "Kōyō Gunkan", composed largely by Kōsaka Masanobu in the mid-16th century, is an epic recording the family's history and Shingen's innovations in military tactics.

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. During the Tokugawa period, several "daimyō" families were direct descendants of the Takeda.

In 1868, these "daimyō" families were :

* The Matsumae, descendants of Takeda Kuninobu, were "daimyō" of Matsumae, the only feudal fief ("han") of Hokkaidō.
* The Nambu, descendants of Takeda Mitsuyuki, great-grandson of Takeda Yoshikiyo (+ 1163), established himself at Nambu (Kai province) and took that name. The Nambu were "daimyō" of Morioka, of Shichinohe and Hachinohe (Mutsu province).
* The Yanagizawa, descendants of Takeda Nobuyoshi, were "daimyō" of Kōriyama (Yamato province), of Kurokawa and Mikkaichi (Echigo province).
* The Gotō, descendants of Takeda Nobuhiro, were "daimyō" of Gotō (the Gotō Islands in Hizen province).
* The Ogasawara are also a cadet branch of the Takeda, by Takeda Nagakiyo (1162-1242), great-grandson of Takeda Yoshikiyo (+ 1163), 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 ancient Takeda cousins. In 1868, they were "daimyō" of Kokura, of Chikuza (Buzen province), of Ashi (Harima province), of Karatsu (Hizen province), and of Katsuyama (Echizen province).
* Two branches named Takeda were ranked among the "Kōke" (the High Families). This title was given to descendants of great dispossessed "daimyō" such as the Takeda, Hatakeyama, Imagawa, Oda, and Ōtomo clans. They received a pension from the shogunate, and had privileged missions confided to them.

Important members of the Takeda family

Historical

*Takeda Nobutora - Shingen's father.
*Takeda Shingen - 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.
*Takeda Nobushige - Shingen's younger brother, held their father's favour 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.

Modern

*Sokaku Takeda - 20th-century member of the clan and founder of Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu

References

*Sansom, George (1961). 'A History of Japan: 1334-1615'. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.
*Turnbull, Stephen (2002). 'War in Japan 1467-1615'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.