Murakami Yoshikiyo

Murakami Yoshikiyo (1501-1573) was a Sengoku daimyō of Shinano Province (present-day Nagano Prefecture) and a fierce warrior renowned for twice repulsing Takeda Shingen. His victories at the Battle of Uedahara (1548) and in the battle for Toishi Castle (1550), which broke the "myth of Takeda invincibility", shine brilliantly in Sengoku history.

As head of the Murakami clan, which was based in Hanishina District (present-day vicinity of Sakaki Town, Nagano Prefecture), Yoshikiyo ruled northern and eastern Shinano. The Murakami were a powerful family of Shinano. Yoshikiyo succeeded to the headship of the clan and, by prevailing over other powerful clans within Shinano, became the overlord of northern Shinano. His sphere of influence spread centered on Sakaki and Katsurao Castle (present-day Sakaki Town, Hanishina District, Nagano Prefecture), and he made a name for himself as one of the strongest warlords in Shinano.

In Tenbun 17 (1548), the Battle of Uedahara was a clash that arose as Takeda Shingen began in earnest to advance into Shinano. In this battle, Yoshikiyo's Shinano army fought bravely against the Takeda army and achieved a great victory, causing the Takeda senior retainers Itagaki Nobukata and Amari Torayasu to die in battle. Shingen himself is also said to have been wounded, and this is regarded as one of the few defeats of Shingen's life. In Tenbun 19 (1550), he also repulsed the Takeda army's attack in the battle for Toishi Castle ("Toishi-kuzure"). However, from Tenbun 22 (1553) onward, after repeated battles with the Takeda family, Yoshikiyo lost Katsurao Castle and was forced to flee into exile, relying on Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo.

Yoshikiyo's renown for twice repulsing Takeda Shingen, the strongest of opponents, is deeply inscribed in the land of Shinano, and it shines with a special brilliance even among the legends of the warriors who fought while carrying Japanese swords (nihontō).