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.
The provinces of both daimyo were separated by mountain ranges, and the Kawanakajima Plain was the most suitable place for combat operations. The landscape here was flat enough for large armies to meet in open battle.
The first clashes
The first three battles at Kawanakajima ended without a definite outcome. They were more like unfinished clashes than decisive battles. However, in 1561, Uesugi Kenshin seemed to sense the inevitability of a decisive battle.
He led 15,000 warriors to the plain and immediately laid siege to Kaizu Castle. Takeda Shingen, having received news of the enemy's actions, mobilized his army and moved to help.
Confrontation at the river
The armies of the two daimyo found themselves in a difficult position: neither side wanted to cross the Saigawa River. The situation increasingly resembled the course of events in the second battle of Kawanakajima.
It was at this moment that one of Shingen's generals, Yamamoto Kansuke, proposed a plan called “Woodpecker.” His plan was to launch a surprise attack on Uesugi's troops from the rear. Part of the army was to climb Mount Saijo (Saijoyama) at night and strike from behind, while Kenshin's main forces would wait for the retreating enemies below.
Takeda approved the plan and divided his army, which numbered 20,000 men. He kept 8,000 with him and entrusted 12,000 warriors to Kosaka Masanobu.
Kenshin's cunning
Uesugi Kenshin must have sensed something was amiss. Under cover of fog, he led his army to the foot of Mount Saijo and crossed the Tikumagawa River. He left Amakasa with 3,000 soldiers to guard the ford. Naoe was sent with 2,000 soldiers to the ford on the Saigawa River. The remaining 10,000 men under Kenshin's personal command formed a “coiling wheel” battle formation and moved towards Takeda's army.
Shingen, meanwhile, arranged his forces in a “crane wing” formation, expecting the enemy to retreat from the mountain. However, instead of fleeing troops, the entire Uesugi army descended upon him.
The Great Battle
The vanguard of the Uesugi clashed with the troops of Takeda Nobushige. A fierce battle ensued, in which Nobushige fell. Unlike Kenshin, Shingen could not easily bring reserves to the battlefield. The Uesugi, on the other hand, had a well-established system of rotating fighters: a tired warrior would leave the ranks and be replaced by a fresh one. This allowed them to maintain their momentum, and Takeda's exhausted troops gradually began to lose ground.
Yamamoto Kansuke, realizing that his plan had failed, threw himself into the battle. After being wounded, he resigned from his duties and committed seppuku.
From that moment on, Uesugi personally joined the battle with Hatamoto Shingen. According to legend, at the decisive moment, a horseman armed with a katana rushed straight to Shingen's headquarters. Shingen did not have time to draw his weapon and fended off the blows with a fighting fan until the horseman was driven away. Some claimed that the horseman was Kenshin himself, while others claimed that it was his double. There were also versions that there was a double of Shingen himself in the Takeda camp.
Meanwhile, Shingen's brother and the commander Morozumi fell in battle. Despite the partial success of the Obu and Anayama troops, Takeda's army was barely holding on. Shingen looked anxiously into the distance, waiting for Kosaka to arrive.
Kosaka's maneuver
Kosaka reached the Uesugi camp with his army, but found it empty. Hearing the noise of battle, he quickly moved to the ford where Amakasa's forces were located. A fierce battle ensued, and all the Uesugi warriors covering the ford were destroyed.
After that, Kosaka moved his troops directly to the main battle site and struck the flank and rear of Kenshin's army. Takeda gradually managed to seize the initiative and push Uesugi's army back. What at first looked like defeat turned into victory for Shingen.
The price of victory
Can this be called a victory? Both armies suffered terrible losses. Uesugi's army lost 72% of its men, while Takeda's forces lost 62%. Many prominent military leaders on both sides were killed in the battle.
Later, in 1564, another battle took place on the Kawanakajima plain. But its outcome only repeated the fate of the first three clashes.
See also
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
The Siege of Iwakura Castle
The Oda clan came to power in the province of Owari in the 15th century as a result of the so-called gokoku-jo, or “overthrow of the higher by the lower.” By rebelling against their suzerain, the Shiba clan, the Oda were able to achieve independence. However, this victory led to internal strife: the clan split into two rival branches.
-
The Siege of Katsurayama Castle
The siege of Katsurayama Castle was part of the so-called Third Campaign of Kawanakajima, one of five operations conducted by daimyo Takeda Shingen against the forces of the Uesugi clan in the north of Shinano Province.
-
The Battle of Nagaragawa
Saito Toshimasa, later known as Saito Dosan, is considered one of the typical Sengoku daimyo—minor samurai who, in the 16th century, managed to achieve the status of independent princes by the harshest and sometimes unsavory means. His ruthlessness towards his rivals earned him the nickname “Mino no Mamushi” — “the viper of Mino.”
