was a Japanese ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

'' of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, 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 Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, 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 Taked ...

and the successor to the legendary warlord

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 ...

. He was son in law of

Hojo Ujiyasu Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

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 accomplishm ...

:). 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 The , also known as the Jin or Miwa clan (神氏, ''Miwa uji / Miwa-shi'' or ''Jinshi'') was a Japanese '' shake'' and samurai family. Originating from the area encompassing Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (modern-day Nagano Prefecture), it was ...

and gained Takatō Castle as the seat of his domain. After his elder brother

Takeda Yoshinobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Born Takeda Tarō (武田太郎), he was the son of Takeda Shingen, by Shingen's wife, . He came of age in 1550, and took the formal name of Yoshinobu, receiving the "yoshi" from the 13th Ashikag ...

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 Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

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 cast ...

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 The was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu in Mikatagahara, Tōtōmi Province on 25 January 1573. Shingen attacked Ieyasu at the plain of Mikatagahara north of Hamamatsu during his ca ...

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, defeated by one of the earliest recorded uses of volley fire (by

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

'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 was a ''daimyō'' (warlord) and third head of the Odawara Hōjō clan. Known as the "Lion of Sagami", he was revered as a fearsome warrior and a cunning man. He is famous for his strategies of breaking the siege from Takeda Shingen and Uesugi K ...

's seventh son, adopted by and heir to

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known a ...

, that initiated the

Battle of Omosu The 1580 was one of many battles fought between the Hōjō and Takeda clans during Japan's Sengoku period. It is distinguished, however, as one of the very few naval battles to be fought in pre-modern Japan. The battle took place off the coa ...

in 1580 against

Hojo Ujimasa Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

. 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 fello ...

, the siege ended with the deaths of 680 men of Okabe Motonobu 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, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, w ...

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 is a Japanese castle located in the city of Ina, southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Takatō Castle was home to a cadet branch of the Naitō clan, '' daimyō'' of Takatō Domain. The castle was also known as . Bui ...

, 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

and

at the

Battle of Tenmokuzan The 1582 in Japan, also known as the Battle of Toriibata, is regarded as the last stand of the Takeda clan. This was the final attempt by Takeda Katsuyori to resist the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, who had been campaignin ...

, after which Katsuyori, his wife, and his son committed ritual suicide, known as

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

. 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

. She died while giving birth to their son Nobukatsu in 1567.

Hojo Masako

Katsuyori later married Hojo Masako, daughter of

. 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 , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

''), along with Katsuyori in the

. Both of his sons died in the battle.

Family

Father:

(1521–1573) Sons: * Takeda Nobukatsu (1567–1582) * Takeda Katsuchika (1580–1582) Wives: * Toyama Fujin * Hojo Masako Daughters: * Tei-hime, married Miyahara Yoshihisa * Kougu-hime, married Naitō Tadaoki