KAWANAKAJIMA

It was the height of the Sengoku Jidai (1467 CE-1603 CE), the terrible age when Japan’s imperial system nearly collapsed among feuding warlords. As powerful samurai families vied for supremacy, either by supplanting their betters or conquering enemy domains, one particular rivalry echoed through the centuries to be hailed as an indelible part of Japan’s national heritage. At the time of the Sengoku, two great houses, one led by a relentless military strategist and the other by a pious warrior, sought to expand their territory along the western edge of the Kanto Plain on the main island of Honshu. The struggle would drag on for 11 years.

In the province of Shinano there was an empty plain called Kawanakajima where the Sai and Chikuma rivers met. It was over this terrain that the armies belonging to Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin faced each other on numerous occasions, but they never committed the full might of their samurai on a decisive battle. The reason for their enmity was direct control of Shinano; the Takeda clan wanted it added to their domain while the Uesugi deemed it a useful buffer to protect their own province, Echigo. In 1555, the two armies even camped on opposite ends of Kawanakajima waiting several months for the perfect opportunity to conclude a siege. Despite the fact that the Takeda were on the defensive and had the advantage of possessing firearms, no decisive chance came and the armies withdrew at the onset of winter. Years passed, and in September 1861 Uesugi Kenshin was confident enough to once again mobilise his samurai and march from his fortress by the sea, Kasugayama. Echigo had prospered under his rule and he was well-regarded for his courage