Takeda Katsuyori (1546 – April 3, 1582) was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, renowned as the head of the Takeda clan and successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was also the son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Katsuyori was born to Shingen and the daughter of Suwa Yorishige, known posthumously as Suwa-goryonin and by her real name, Koihime. His children included Takeda Nobukatsu and Takeda Katsuchika.
Initially known as Suwa Shiro Katsuyori, he succeeded to his mother's Suwa clan and established Takato Castle as his domain's seat. After the death of his elder brother Takeda Yoshinobu, Katsuyori's son Nobukatsu became the heir to the Takeda clan, making Katsuyori the de facto ruler. In 1581, Katsuyori built Shinpu Castle at Nirasaki and transferred his residence there.
Katsuyori's military career was marked by several significant battles:
- In 1569, he defeated Hojo Ujinobu during the Siege of Kanbara.
- In 1572, he captured a Tokugawa clan possession in the Siege of Futamata and participated in the Battle of Mikatagahara against the Oda-Tokugawa alliance.
- In 1573, following Shingen's death, Katsuyori led the Takeda family and continued to confront the Tokugawa clan.
- In 1574, he captured Takatenjin Castle, earning substantial support from the Takeda clan.
- In 1575, he suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Nagashino, where Oda Nobunaga's innovative use of volley fire by 3,000 guns decimated Katsuyori's forces and killed many Takeda generals.
- In 1578, Katsuyori angered the Hojo family by supporting Uesugi Kagekatsu against Uesugi Kagetora, leading to the Battle of Omosu in 1580 against Hojo Ujimasa.
- In 1581, Katsuyori lost Takatenjin fortress to Tokugawa Ieyasu, resulting in the deaths of 680 men of the Okabe Motonobu garrison.
In 1582, Katsuyori faced further setbacks:
He lost Takato Castle to Oda Nobutada, marking the only Takeda stronghold in Shinano province to resist Nobunaga's final invasion.
Following these defeats, support from many clans, such as Kiso and Anayama, dwindled.
As the Oda-Tokugawa alliance advanced into Kai Province and laid siege to Shinpu Castle, Katsuyori, unable to hold the castle with his remaining men, set it ablaze and fled to Tenmoku Mountain. His forces were ultimately defeated at the Battle of Tenmokuzan. Katsuyori, his wife, and his son then committed ritual suicide (seppuku), marking the end of the Takeda clan. The nun Rikei documented his wife's suicide and composed several verses in their honor.
Katsuyori's personal life included two marriages. He first married Toyoma Fujin, the adopted daughter of Oda Nobunaga, who died giving birth to their son Nobukatsu in 1567. Katsuyori later married Keirin'in, the daughter of Hojo Ujiyasu, with whom he had a son and two daughters. In 1582, during their escape following Katsuyori's defeat by Oda Nobunaga, Keirin'in chose to die alongside Katsuyori rather than flee, committing jigai during the Battle of Tenmokuzan. Both of Katsuyori's sons also perished in the battle.
See also
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Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
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Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
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Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
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Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
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Hosokawa Sumimoto
Sumimoto came from the Hosokawa clan: he was the biological son of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and at the same time the adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, the heir of Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the principal instigators of the Ōnin War. Masamoto was homosexual, never married, and had no children of his own. At first he adopted Sumiyuki, a scion of the aristocratic Kujō family, but this choice provoked dissatisfaction and sharp criticism from the senior vassals of the Hosokawa house. As a result, Masamoto changed his decision and proclaimed Sumimoto as his heir, a representative of a collateral branch of the Hosokawa clan that had long been based in Awa Province on the island of Shikoku. Almost immediately after this, the boy became entangled in a complex and bitter web of political intrigue.
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Honda Masanobu
Masanobu initially belonged to the retinue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but later entered the service of Sakai Shōgen, a daimyo and priest from Ueno. This shift automatically made him an enemy of Ieyasu, who was engaged in conflict with the Ikkō-ikki movement in Mikawa Province. After the Ikkō-ikki were defeated in 1564, Masanobu was forced to flee, but in time he returned and once again entered Ieyasu’s service. He did not gain fame as a military commander due to a wound sustained in his youth; nevertheless, over the following fifty years he consistently remained loyal to Ieyasu.
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
