As a result of the summer campaign of 1542, the Suwa clan was completely defeated. Takeda Shingen stationed his military contingent at Uehara Castle. Takeda's army general, Itagaki Nobukata, subsequently became the commandant of this castle.
Uehara was to become an important outpost in the conquered lands. Itagaki eagerly set about rebuilding the castle and even built himself a residence within its fortifications.
Allies and division of lands
Takeda's ally in the war against the Suwa clan was Takato Yoritsugu. His contribution to the victory was significant, and according to the alliance treaty, he was given the lands west of the Miyagawa River. The Takeda clan came to rule the lands east of it.
The division was fair, but it did not satisfy Yoritsugu. Relations between the clans began to deteriorate.
Search for allies and rebellion
Takato Yoritsugu could not stand up to Takeda's military machine alone, so he began to look for allies. He managed to win over Yajima Mitsukiyo, Aruga Totomi-no-kami, and Fujisawa Yoritsugu from the Ina region. In addition, Yoritsugu requested support from the Harutika region.
On September 10, Takato's troops attacked Uehara Castle. The castle was taken, and Takeda's troops were forced to leave the Suwa region.
Shingen reacted swiftly. By September 19, Takeda's army had crossed the border with Suwa and set up camp near the Sakai River. The Kohakusai-ki source claims that the vanguard of Takeda's army, led by Itagaki Nobukata, was already in Suwa on September 11. This may indicate that Shingen, thanks to his developed spy network, knew about the impending uprising and was ready to act immediately.
The political aspect of the campaign
The political side of the campaign is of particular interest. Shingen's family raised the son of the defeated Suwa Yorishige, Torao. He was considered the legitimate heir to the Suwa lands.
Thus, Shingen went on a campaign on his behalf, legitimizing the campaign against Takato. He also informed the former vassals of the Suwa clan that he was acting on behalf of Suwa Torao, and this bore fruit: former Suwa vassals began to flock to Takeda's camp.
He was joined by Moria Yorizane (Yorimasa), Suwa Mitsutaka, and representatives of the Tino, Yajima, and Kosaka clans. Yorishige's uncle, Suwa Mitsutaka, decided to oppose Takato from his castle in Takashima.
Takato Yoritsugu found himself in a difficult position, and a clash became inevitable.
The Battle of Ankoku-ji
On September 25, a battle took place near the Miyagawa River, which went down in history as the Battle of Ankoku-ji, named after a nearby temple.
According to some sources, Takeda Shingen had only a few thousand soldiers, although he had the capacity to recruit up to twenty thousand men. Yoritsugu commanded an army of two thousand men.
The battle began at two o'clock in the afternoon and lasted almost four hours. Takeda's troops pressed the enemy, and finally Takato gave the signal to retreat.
It is believed that Yoritsugu himself nearly died in battle, but managed to escape through the Tsuezuki Pass to his castle in Takato. His army lost 700 men killed. Yoritsugu's younger brother, Takato Yorimune, was killed.
Yajima Mitsukiyo lost his son in battle and became a fugitive himself, wandering for a long time as a ronin, trying not to be caught by Takeda's patrols. It is believed that Takeda's army lost only 50 men. If the figures are correct, then Shingen won a brilliant victory.
Autumn campaign
The battle of Ankoku-ji did not end the campaign against Takato. Part of Takeda's army followed the retreating enemy through the Tsuezuki Pass.
On September 26, Komai Masataka's troops, led by Moria Yorizane's scouts (shinobi), invaded the Ina region. They ravaged the lands around Fukuyo Castle and laid siege to the fortress.
The castle commander, Fujisawa Yoritsugu, defended himself in the hope that Takato Yoritsugu would come to his aid. But after several days of siege, he surrendered. However, he was not punished and even retained Fukuyo Castle.
Conquest of the Ina region
Other Takeda generals also crossed the pass and invaded the Ina region. Among them was Itagaki Nobukata, who arrived there three days after Komai.
His troops ravaged several villages and moved towards the Aruga Pass. Itagaki searched for traces of the remnants of Takato's army and, satisfied that the resistance had been broken, returned to Kai Province. Komai also left the region.
Results of the campaign
After Takeda's victory in the autumn campaign, the Suwa region remained completely under his control. Part of the Ina region was also captured, but Shingen decided to focus on the lands he had already conquered.
Itagaki Nobukata was appointed chief administrator of the Suwa region, based at Uehara Castle.
The castle reconstruction project began in May 1543 and was completed in April of the following year. Uehara controlled an important crossroads, guarded the approaches to the “home” province of Kai, and served as a convenient springboard for future conquests.
See also
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The Third Siege of Takatenjin Castle
The history of the castle prior to the conflict between the Tokugawa and Takeda clans is rather unclear. According to one version, the castle was built in 1416, when Imagawa Sadayoshi (1325–1420) was governor of Suruga Province and half of Totomi Province. Allegedly, it was he who ordered Imagawa Norimasa (1364–1433) to build this fortification. However, no reliable evidence has been found to support this. Another version is considered more plausible, according to which the castle was built during the conquest of Totomi Province at the end of the 15th century by Imagawa Ujitsuna (1473–1526) and his general Ise Shinkuro (Hojo Soon). In this case, another of Ujitsuna's generals, Kusima Masashige (1492–1521), is considered responsible for the construction.
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Battle of Mimigawa
In 1556, the Shimazu clan launched a campaign aimed at systematically conquering the island of Kyushu. In the same year, the province of Osumi was annexed and a war began with the Ito clan for control of the province of Hyuga. In 1577, Ito Yoshisuke was defeated and fled north, where he sought help from Otomo Sorin, the Christian daimyo of Bungo Province.
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The Siege of Kozuki Castle
The battle for Kozuki Castle was a consequence of Oda Nobunaga's expansion in the Chugoku region. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was appointed to lead the campaign, which aimed to weaken the influence of the Mori clan in these lands. Under his command were famous samurai: Kuroda Kanbei, Takenaka Shigeharu, and Hachisuka Koroku. Amago Katsuhisa, who cherished the hope of one day restoring the Amago clan's lost dominance in western Japan, also joined Oda's army.
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The Siege of Nagashino Castle
Despite his reputation as a failure, created by 20th-century popular culture, especially cinema, Takeda Katsuyori (1546–1582) was in fact a brave warrior and talented commander. However, he always remained in the shadow of his great father, the legendary Takeda Shingen. After Shingen's death, Katsuyori sought to at least equal him, if not surpass him. Therefore, his actions were not always determined by pragmatic calculation. This character trait greatly influenced the subsequent events that led to the demise of the Takeda clan.
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Siege of Nagashima Fortifications
The Buddhist peasant movement Ikko-Ikki, which emerged in the 15th century, had grown considerably stronger and larger by the middle of the following century. It had effectively turned into a large feudal army used for territorial conquests. The Ikko-ikki fought fiercely not only against other branches of Buddhism, but also against the provincial daimyo and the central government.
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The Second Battle of Konodai
Hojo Ujiasu (1515–1571), one of the greatest representatives of the Hojo clan, spent almost his entire life at war. His possessions were in a difficult position: they were surrounded on all sides by aggressive neighbors ready to attack at any moment. In implementing his plans to expand the Hojo clan's influence in the Kanto region, Ujiasu was forced to confront well-known and powerful opponents—the Uesugi and Takeda clans. In the east, his main rival was the Satomi clan.
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The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima
The Kawanakajima Plain is located at the confluence of the Saigawa and Tikumagawa rivers in the Japanese Alps. Between 1553 and 1564, five battles took place on this plain between the forces of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.
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Battle of Tonamoto (Nagahama)
At the beginning of the Sengoku Jidai period, the Teshokabe clan was one of the smaller clans in Tosa Province. Its neighbors were constantly at war with each other, engaging in endless skirmishes. Among them, Yosokabe Kunitika stood out as a military strategist of extraordinary talent. It was thanks to these abilities that he managed to defeat the neighboring clans step by step by the middle of the 16th century, expanding the influence of his clan. At that time, the clan's headquarters was Oko Castle.
