was a retainer of the

Takeda family The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

. He was known as one of the "

Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen 24 (twenty-four) is the natural number following 23 and preceding 25. The SI prefix for 1024 is yotta (Y), and for 10−24 (i.e., the reciprocal of 1024) yocto (y). These numbers are the largest and smallest number to receive an SI prefix to da ...

". His name is also seen with different ''

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

'' as 信形. Nobukata served under both

Takeda Nobutora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) who controlled the Province of Kai, and fought in a number of battles of the Sengoku period. He was the father of the famous Takeda Shingen. Biography Nobutora’s son was Harunobu, later known as Take ...

and

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

and also was tasked with young Shingen.武家家伝＿甘利氏
/ref> In 1541 Nobutora, along with Amari Torayasu, was driven out from the position of the head of Takeda clan, and he served as the general for Shingen often leading the troops into a battle when Shingen could not. In 1542, he would personally finish off Takato Yoritsugu at

Battle of Ankokuji The Battle of Ankokuji (安国寺の戦い) was a battle during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. The battle of Ankokuji was a rather minor battle that took place after the fall of Fukuyo, in which Tozawa Yorichika, an ally of Takat ...

, shortly after the

Siege of Fukuyo The siege of Fukuyo was one of many steps taken by Takeda Shingen in his bid to seize control of Shinano Province. The fortress at Fukuyo lay in the Ina valley, south of Lake Suwa. Tozawa Yorichika, an ally of Takato Yoritsugu, Takatō Yoritsug ...

. In 1545, he successfully besieged and captured Takato castle. In 1546, he defeated

Uesugi Norimasa was a ''daimyō'' of feudal Japan from Yamanouchi branch Uesugi clan and held the post of Kantō Kanrei, the ''shōgun''s deputy in the Kantō region. He was the adoptive father of Uesugi Kenshin, one of the most famous warlords in Japanese his ...

at Usui Toge in

Battle of Odaihara The 1547 Battle of Odaihara was one of a series of battles waged by Takeda Shingen in his long campaign to conquer Shinano province. In this particular encounter he was fighting the forces of Uesugi Norimasa, who was based in Echigo province but ...

. With these victories, he was instrumental in gaining the control of

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

and proved himself a skilled tactician. He was known as one of the "

".Inoue, Yasushi. (2006)
''The Samurai banner of Furin Kazan,'' p. 7
After these victories, Nobukata increasingly became selfish and started to hold victory ceremonies without firmly winning a battle. These victories rapidly became fewer. As Nobukata was the eldest of the Takeda retainers and having educated Shingen, few could criticize his actions. In 1547, during

Siege of Shika Castle The siege of Shika castle, which took place in September 1547, was one of many battles fought in Takeda Shingen's bid to seize control of Shinano Province. Background The battle took place during the 16th-century Sengoku period, also known as ...

, Nobukata and his troops were almost completely wiped out in a battle and without a timely rescue by

Hara Toratane was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen 24 (twenty-four) is the natural number following 23 and preceding 25. The SI prefix for 1024 is yotta (Y), and for 10− ...

, Nobukata himself would have been in danger as well. Shingen offered the following ''

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

'' to Nobukata to encourage him to correct his act. :''Dare mo Miyo Mitsureba Yagate Kaku Tsuki no Izayofu Ana ya Hito no Yo no Naka'' :誰もみよ満つればやがて欠く月の十六夜ふ穴や人の世の中 :(Translation) "Everyone sees that even a beautiful full moon starts to change its shape, becoming smaller as the time passes. Even in our human lives, things are as it is." In 1548, at the Battle of Uedahara, Nobutaka satisfied with a victory, had his troops stand down to hold a ceremony.

Murakami Yoshikiyo Murakami Yoshikiyo (村上義清, 1501–1573) was a Japanese samurai from the and retainer of the Uesugi clan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Yoshikiyo followed in fighting against both Takeda Nobutora and his son Takeda Shingen ...

's troops regrouped and counterattacked, killing Nobutaka and Amari Torayasu. The Meiji era politician

Itagaki Taisuke Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' ...

was Nobukata's direct descendant, 12 generations removed.

In fiction

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

's 2007 Taiga drama ''

Fūrinkazan , is a popularized version of the battle standard used by the Sengoku period ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen. The banner quoted four phrases from Sun Tzu's ''The Art of War'': "as swift as wind, as gentle as forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakable ...

'', Itagaki is played by

Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...

. Like in the novel it was adapted from, Nobukata was portrayed more heroically, supposedly the one who was trying to rein in the young Takeda Harunobu (Shingen) from his arrogance and chose to sacrifice himself so that Harunobu may survive the Battle of Uedahara.

Genealogy

Source "Kai Kokushi". Matsudaira Sadayoshi. 1814. Japan.(Aduchi-Momoyama period part) "Kwansei-choshu Shokafu". Hotta Masaatsu, Hayashi jyussai. 1799. Japan.(Aduchi-Momoyama period part) "Osamuraichu Senzogaki-keizucho"(Edo period part)

References

External links

"Legendary Takeda's 24 Generals" at Yamanashi-kankou.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Itagaki, Nobukata 1548 deaths Japanese warriors killed in battle Samurai Takeda retainers Year of birth unknown Deified Japanese people