Takeda Nobuyoshi (武田信義, September 11, 1128 - March 31, 1186 or later than 1194) was a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

lord of the late Heian and early

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

. He was the founder 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 Taked ...

and the father of

Ichijō Tadayori Ichijō Tadayori (一条忠頼, died July 25, 1184) was a samurai lord of the late Heian period. He served as Governor of Musashi Province and was the lord of Ichijō township in Yamanashi, Kai Province. He was the founder of the Ichijō clan. H ...

. He was also known as Takeda Tarō.

Life

Minamoto no Ryūkōmaru was born on September 11, 1128, the son of Minamoto no Kiyomitsu, the 3rd head of the Kai

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

. He was the great-grandson of

Minamoto no Yoshimitsu was a Japanese samurai lord during the Heian period. He served as Governor of Kai Province. He is credited as the ancient progenitor of the Japanese martial art, Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu and Takeda-ryu. Biography Yoshimitsu was born the ...

. In 1140, at the age of 13, he held his coming of age ceremony (''

genpuku is a Japanese coming-of-age ceremony which dates back to Japan's classical Nara Period (710–794 AD). /sup> This ceremony marked the transition from child to adult status and the assumption of adult responsibilities. The age of participat ...

'') at Takeda Hachimangū shrine, and changed his name to Takeda Tarō Nobuyoshi (Tarō being his ''azana'' and Nobuyoshi being his ''

imina in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, in that order. Nevertheless, when a Japanese name is written in the Roman alphabet, ever since the Meiji era, the official policy has been to cater to Western expecta ...

''). In 1180, he joined the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

on the side of the Minamoto clan and participated in the Battle of Uji. After defeating the remaining forces of the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided ...

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 ...

, he progressed to

Suruga Province was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and was bordered by the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay to the south. Its abbrevia ...

with

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

's forces. During the Battle of Fujikawa, Takeda carried out a surprise attack on Taira clan's forces at night, ultimately forcing them to flee. Yoritomo was pleased with Takeda's achievements in battle, and rewarded him with the position of Governor (''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'') of Suruga Province. Although Takeda had fought on Yoritomo's side and contributed to his cause, Yoritomo felt threatened by his growing power. In addition, Yoritomo suspected Takeda of receiving an edict from

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His de jure reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158, though arguably he effectively maintained imperial power for almost thirty-seven years through the ''ins ...

about a punitive expedition against Yoritomo in 1181. Yoritomo, suspicious of Takeda's intentions, had a talk with him asking about any ideas of treason. This suspicion led to the decline of Takeda's political status in the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...

. In 1184, Yoritomo ordered the assassination of Takeda's eldest son and heir,

, who was the Governor of

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, S ...

. At this point, Takeda had also been disfavored by Yoritomo.

Death

One account of his death, is that the broken-hearted Takeda died on March 31, 1186, just two years after the murder of his son. He was 59 years old. However, although the ''

Azuma Kagami is a Japanese historical chronicle. The medieval text chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō (the 6th shōgun) and his return to Kyoto in 12 ...

'' states that Takeda died on March 31, 1186 of an illness, there are records of him even after his supposed death in 1186. In 1190, he appears among the attendants to Yoritomo's invasion of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, and his name is also seen in 1194 during the construction of Tōdai-ji temple and as a ''kasagake'' archer. Based on these records, it has been pointed out that there is a strong possibility that Takeda was alive after 1186.

In popular culture

TV series

* ''Taira no Kiyomor''i (2012) NHK Taiga drama, Toshiya Nagasawa as Takeda Nobuyoshi * ''

The 13 Lords of the Shogun is a Japanese historical drama television series starring Shun Oguri as Hōjō Yoshitoki. The series is the 61st NHK taiga drama. Cast Starring role *Shun Oguri as Hōjō Yoshitoki. Kōki Mitani pointed out some similarities between him and ...

'' (2022) NHK Taiga drama,

Norito Yashima is a Japanese actor, TV personality, narrator, voice actor and presenter. He is currently employed by ComeCome Miniki-Na Theater Company and SIS company. He landed his first hosting job on the Fuji TV series '' Hey! Spring of Trivia'', a show he co ...

as Takeda Nobuyoshi

Gallery

File:武田信義館跡.jpg, Ruins of Takeda Nobuyoshi's Mansion in Nirasaki File:武田信義之墓.jpg, Takeda Nobuyoshi's grave in Nirasaki

References

People of Heian-period Japan 12th-century Japanese people 1128 births 1186 deaths {{DEFAULTSORT:Nobuyoshi, Takeda