* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Takeda Nobushige
武田信繁
The Perfect Deputy — Shingen's Most Trusted Brother, Fallen at Kawanakajima
Description
Takeda House's Treasure, Nobushige
Born in Kai Province in Daiei 5 (1525), Takeda Nobushige was a capable general who embodied the ideal of the Kai samurai as deputy to his elder brother Shingen in the Takeda army, the most formidable warrior corps of the Sengoku period. Known by the title Tenkyū, he earned outstanding esteem within the Takeda house for his character, martial prowess, and strategic judgment. Yamagata Masakage is said to have called Nobushige a "true deputy commander." Nobushige's own "Nobushige's Memorandum (Ninety-Nine Articles of Family Precepts)" sets out the conduct expected of a warrior and had a profound influence on later martial thought.
The Fierce Battle of Kawanakajima and His Death
In the ninth month of Eiroku 4 (1561), the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima is passed down to posterity as one of the fiercest battles in Sengoku history. An unprecedented event occurred in which Uesugi Kenshin personally charged into the Takeda main camp. The legendary scene of Mitachi Nanatachi ('three strokes, seven strokes'), in which Shingen barely escaped the crisis by blocking the swords with his war fan (gunbai), is extremely famous. In the midst of this chaos, Nobushige fought valiantly at the front line and was finally killed in action. Shingen is said to have held Nobushige's body and wept aloud.
The Warrior Ideal
Nobushige's memorandum is the ninety-nine articles of family precepts he gave to his heir, Chōrō (later Takeda Nobutoyo), in Eiroku 1 (1558). Drawing on quotations from Chinese classics, beginning with the Analects, it sets out the principles a warrior should uphold. These precepts were widely read and handed down as a guide to conduct for samurai in the Edo period. It is even said that had Nobushige lived, the conflict between Shingen and his son Yoshinobu would not have occurred.