was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the

Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

, who was famed as the head of the

Takeda clan 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 T ...

and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu.

Early life

He was the son of Shingen by the daughter of Suwa Yorishige (

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishment ...

:). Katsuyori's children included Takeda Nobukatsu and Katsuchika.http://www2.harimaya.com/sengoku/html/takeda.html Katsuyori, first known as , succeeded to his mother's Suwa clan and gained Takatō Castle as the seat of his domain. After his elder brother Takeda Yoshinobu died, Katsuyori's son Nobukatsu became heir to the Takeda clan, making Katsuyori the true ruler of the Takeda clan. Takeda Katsuyori built Shinpu Castle, a new and larger castle at Nirasaki and transferred his residence there in 1581.

Military life

In 1569, Katsuyori defeated Hojo Ujinobu at

Siege of Kanbara The 1569 Siege of Kanbara was one of many sieges undertaken by the Takeda clan against the territories of the Hōjō clan during Japan's Sengoku period. Takeda Katsuyori, the son of clan head Takeda Shingen, led the siege against Kanbara ca ...

In 1572, Katsuyori successfully took a

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful '' daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this cl ...

possession in the

Siege of Futamata Futamata fortress was Takeda Shingen's first objective in his campaign against Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1572 he left the siege of Futamata in the hands of his son and heir Takeda Katsuyori. The fortress was built on the edge of a cliff, overlooking ...

, and participated in the Battle of Mikatagahara against the Oda-Tokugawa alliance. In 1573, Katsuyori took charge of the Takeda family after the death of Shingen and fought the

. In 1574, he captured Takatenjin castle, which even his father had not managed to do. This gained him the support of the Takeda clan. In 1575, he suffered a terrible loss at the

Battle of Nagashino The took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa Province of Japan. Takeda Katsuyori attacked the castle when Okudaira Sadamasa rejoined the Tokugawa, and when his original plot with Oga Yashiro for t ...

, defeated by one of the earliest recorded uses of volley fire (by Oda Nobunaga's 3,000 guns), and losing a large part of his forces as well as a number of Takeda's generals. In 1578, Katsuyori incurred the wrath of the Hōjō family by helping Uesugi Kagekatsu against Uesugi Kagetora who was Hōjō Ujiyasu's seventh son, adopted by and heir to Uesugi Kenshin, that initiated the Battle of Omosu in 1580 against Hojo Ujimasa. In 1581, Katsuyori lost Takatenjin fortress by

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...

, the siege ended with the deaths of 680 men of

Okabe Motonobu , also known as Naganori, was Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, in the service of the Imagawa clan. The second son of Okabe Chikatsuna, he became a senior retainer of the Imagawa, following in his father's footsteps. In 1560, After his lo ...

garrison. In 1582, Katsuyori lost Takatō castle by Oda Nobutada, the only Takeda stronghold in

Shinano province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo Province, Echigo, Etchū Province, Etchū, Hida Province, Hida, Kai Province, Kai, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Mikawa Province, Mikawa, Mino Province, Mi ...

to put up any resistance to Nobunaga's final invasion of Takeda domain, the castle was taken on March the 2nd 1582.

Death

After Katsuyori lost Takatenjin fortress and Takatō castle, many clans like Kiso and Anayama withdrew their support for Takeda. The Oda-Tokugawa alliance advanced into Kai Province, and laid siege to Shinpu Castle, Katsuyori was unable to hold the castle with his remaining 300-400 men, so he set fire to Shinpu Castle and fled into the Tenmoku mountain. Later, his forces were destroyed by the combined armies of Oda Nobunaga and

at the Battle of Tenmokuzan, after which Katsuyori, his wife, and his son committed ritual suicide, known as seppuku. It was the end of

. The nun Rikei wrote an account of his wife's suicide and, pitying them, wrote several verses in their honour. alt=, center, 426x426px

Spouse

Toyama Fujin

Takeda Katsuyori married Toyoma Fujin, the adopted daughter of Oda Nobunaga. She died while giving birth to their son Nobukatsu in 1567.

Hojo Masako

Katsuyori later married Hojo Masako, daughter of Hojo Ujiyasu. She bore him a son and two daughters. In 1582, when Masako was 19, Katsuyori was defeated by Oda Nobunaga and they had to flee. However, Katsuyori was resigned to die and urged her to leave him. She refused and killed herself ('' jigai''), along with Katsuyori in the Battle of Tenmokuzan. Both of his sons died in the battle.

Family

Father: Takeda Shingen (1521–1573) Sons: *

Takeda Nobukatsu is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files< ...

(1567–1582) *

Takeda Katsuchika is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files

(1580–1582) Wives: *

Toyama Fujin Toyama may refer to: Places and organizations * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...

* Hojo Masako Daughters: * Tei-hime, married Miyahara Yoshihisa * Kougu-hime, married Naitō Tadaoki