-Shingen Takeda-

(1521–73). Daimyo of the Sengoku (1467–1568) and Azuchi-Momoyama (1568–1600) periods. He was named Harunobu at his coming of age in 1536; Shingen is a Buddhist name that he used from about 1559. Shingen succeeded to the position of shugo (military governor) in Kai Province (now Yamanashi Prefecture) in 1541 by expelling his father, Nobutora (1494–1574), and usurping the family headship. In 1542 Shingen invaded Shinano Province (now Nagano Prefecture). In 1559 the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru (1536–65) appointed him shugo of Shinano, in effect legalizing the conquest.

Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, daimyo of Echigo Province (now part of Niigata Prefecture), were involved in a famous rivalry after 1553. Particularly celebrated is the series of battles they fought at Kawanakajima. From 1554 onward, Shingen fought steadily to gain power in a series of treacherous, shifting alliances with daimyo such as Imagawa Yoshimoto, Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the Hojo family. In 1572 Shingen mounted an offensive toward the west. Shingen's early successes, particularly his victory over the combined forces of Ieyasu and Nobunaga at Mikatagahara on 6 January 1573, enticed the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki into an open break with Nobunaga, a move that led to the downfall of the Muromachi shogunate. A mortal disease forced Shingen to break off the campaign, and he died on 13 May. Nine years after Shingen's death, Nobunaga eliminated his heirs and partitioned his domains