Shingen's War - For Kai; why, and how, Takeda seized the Shogunate
Shingen's War – For Kai
Why, and How, Shingen Seized the Shogunate
As a young boy Takeda Shingen (1521-1582) would look out from his family home in Kai and see a beautiful mountain valley. The high ridges prevented movement in all but three directions, towards Shinano, Musashi, and Suruga. He watched as travelers and traders came and went, and imagined what wonders lay beyond the limits of his world. He dreamt of his own journey outside the fortress of his family's valley.
And then at he age of 24, he was Daimyo. He had been prepared for the role, but his world view changed when troops from Shinano appeared on the border. He had been advised to march and seize that province, but he had no true desire to do anything more than develop his home province.
In an instant the valley that had once promised a world of adventures just over the horizon now provided access to Kai for those who wished to destroy his family, his home. The roads to Suruga and to Musashi housed the same threat.
Shingen rode out to meet the threat with his brother and every fighting man they could muster, and won his first battle. He looked back on the unprotected stronghold and knew that he could never leave it open again. He saw that the Murakami army he had just scattered would reform, and knew that he must eliminate them at their source. He knew also that once he took Shinano there would be a new horizon, with new threats, and that the only way to ensure peace in his valley would be to march to Kyoto and seize it.
But how could he afford to take the fight to Shinano. Outnumbered, barely able to fund his army, he needed to build up his economy, improve his training capacity, and keep his people happy.
He saw that the Murakami army before him was weakened, and so he poured all his resources into war and chased them to North Shinano, while forming a garrison to protect Kai. Before Murakami could react he stormed the stronghold.
These realizations formed the foundation of his strategy.
He would establish blocks on his frontiers, forces strong enough to repel attack. . .
and then he would parry, striking back at the depleted armies.
In order to be most efficient he would rely on ashigaru for the bulk of his force. To ensure that he had sufficient, but not excessive, numbers, he would need eyes out beyond the border to warn him of approaching danger.
He would need to pour every available resource into developing his economy. . .
and he would need as many friends, and as few enemies, as he could manage.
It was also apparent that he would not spend his life in his home province, building and enjoying his life. His fate, and those of his brothers, and his sons, was now destined to be one of war, of life on the frontier, always anticipating the next attack, or the next march.
Early Campaign - Build Some Depth
His first objective was to build depth in his territory. Shingen looked out from the walls of the stronghold in North Shinano and saw that it was open on four sides. He could never afford to have full troop garrisons in every province. He needed to build an interior, and right now all he he had was frontier.
Sagami and Musashi were too open to defend with the forces available to him, and there was much turmoil in Izu and Suruga, so he decided not to try to seize those provinces yet. Hida sits in a long valley, open only on two sides. So Shingen moved through Hida and into Etchu, his first coastal province.
He made allies of Imagawa and Hatakeyama, avoiding becoming intertwined with Hojo, whose constant excursions created much tension in the region.
But nothing was simple. Each season saw a new confrontation; Uesugi, Asai, Date, Satomi, Yamanouchi, each declared war on the Takeda and made attempts to take Kai and North Shinano. His brother, Nobukado, held Kai, while his son, Sadayasu was in North Shinano. They each survived relentless attacks on their strongholds, slowly improving their province economies and defensive capabilities. But it was slow going, the cost of maintaining three armies kept pressure on the Takeda clan to be as efficient as possible.
Each attacking army was more advance than the Takeda forces, but by using the fortresses to defend and defeat the attackers, they built experience. But after each battle there were a few remaining enemy units hanging around.
Shingen realized that these army fragments that were pillaging his lands were devastating to his economy, and determined to hunt down and kill every enemy soldier whenever the opportunity presented itself. After each battle his horsemen doggedly pursued fleeing troops and killed each man.
This led to a reputation for deadly violence that, while accurate, missed the truth. Shingen never desired violence, and he never sought to kill and destroy. He did take satisfaction when he saw his men remove, completely, an enemy that was damaging the Takeda clan. Bloodthirsty, no, but ruthless in defense of his clan.
Shingen pursued his expansion into Kaga and Noto, then Echizen, with the goal of creating interior provinces that did not require full garrisons.
This expansion presented two challenges. As he moved out of Hida the valley opened into a plain with three provinces – Etchu, Noto, and Kaga. Shingen's army had to take and hold Etchu, then grab Kaga and hold it. Etchu is vulnerable to Uesugi's forces in Echigo, and Kaga confronts Asai in Echizen.
He continued to use the concept of parry. Wait until an enemy army appears at his castle wall; when they attack his defense is brutal, and before the attacking force can regroup he advances into their territory and lays siege. In this manner he always has the advantage – defending strongholds with intact, competent (peasant-flavored) armies, and attacking depleted forces in retreat.
It may be said that Shingen caught a break here, but opportunity favors the prepared. He had made peace with Hatakeyami in Noto, establishing trade. A full garrison of 20 units sits in Noto, and although friendly now Shingen knew he could not safely continue without acquiring the province. So, after Etchu and Kaga had been taken, Shingen cancelled his trade agreement with Hatakeyami and then took the province in a bloody battle.
Once Noto, Echizen, and Echigo had been taken the Takeda territory now possessed the prized interior provinces that could provide the economic power they needed, without requiring full garrisons. The clan did have the added responsibility of building and supporting a navy to protect their coast, but increased trade, particularly with the Honma on the island of Sado helped.
Echigo has a strong naval tradition, and served as the main port for building ships. It also became the new frontier stronghold, defending against the Date clan to the north. Echizen became the blocking stronghold on the coast against Wakasa and the southern clans, including several Christian and rebel factions. With these new frontier strongholds established, Shingen turned back to Shinano.
It's now 1560, and although the going was slow and difficult, it is now time to expand. Every season the clan has endured major attacks, including sieges. Ninja and army units have raided improvements. Nearly every clan is hostile, only Imagawa, whose power is waning, and Honma, isolated on their island, remain friendly throughout.
Shingen saw that South Shinano would provide a solid blocking province, so he moved to take it from Asai. It was more highly developed than any province in the Takeda lands, a fortress that produced Katana Samurai and other armored, professional units.
Although Takeda are known for their horsemanship, Shingen decided to not pursue development of large cavalry forces due to the cost of training and supporting them. Facing mostly Yari Ashigaru, who can be effective against mounted troops, Shingen maintained only one or two cavalry in each army, mostly to chase routers.
His younger son, Akitoki, and his brother, Nobushige, each held a fort on the frontier while Shingen himself led the attacks to expand their empire.
Once South Shinano was safely controlled, the Takeda attempted to scale back their expansion and develop their newly acquired lands. Although they continued to endure random attacks and confrontations, the decade was the most peaceful period the clan would see. Agents continued to play an important role as the eyes of the clan, frequently sitting in key locations to monitor the troop movements of the other clans.
Shingen focused on diplomacy and trade, and for the first time in 20 years the clan had the ability to fully fund their armies and build multiple developments simultaneously. The emphasis was on economic (farms and markets), agents and religious buildings, and dojos for improved troops.
Armies now included Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers, Naginata, and Katana. Low experience Yari were replaced with four and five stripe Ashigaru from South Shinano. Archers from Echizen benefited from the improved accuracy provided by Lacquerware Workshops. An armourer in Kaga was used to improve melee units produced there.
The Northern Campaign
So when Date and Satomi decided, in 1570, to break the peace and attack, Shingen was ready with his strategy, his brothers, sons, and their armies.
But this time Shingen would sit, in South Shinano, while his son, his heir, would lead the fight. Shingen, now almost 50, knew that he would never see Kyoto. It would be Yoshinubu, or another son if Yoshi were to die in battle, that would be the first Takeda Shogun, and Shingen wanted his sons to fight and earn their honor. This would help stave off weakness, and improve their character.
Again the Takeda parried, this time in Echigo, North Shinano, and Kai. After destroying the army attacking Echigo, they quickly and easily took Fukushima. North Shinano was defended, and the army there moved into Kozuke. Date had spent his energy attacking strong fortresses, and had little left to defend his provinces afterward.
The fight for Musashi, which followed an attack on Kai, was more difficult. Satomi had force in-depth, after years of chaotic fighting in the region. Shingen gambled, and caught his second big break. His son, Akitoki, left Kai unguarded for the first time since Shingen himself had left it, empty of troops, to attack Shinano.
Akitoki found himself facing the same challenge his father met when Shingen moved out of Hida. Suddenly the vast plains around Musashi opened up to present Sagami, Shimotsuke, Hitachi, and Shimosa surrounding him. With Kai open and unguarded, he could not chase Satomi any further, especially considering that Satomi retained ample force. Too many enemies, too many holes in the defense. Shingen's philosophy of a solid forntier was in jeopardy of being compromised if the army in Musashi did anything more than defend.
Shingen had his son hold in Musashi, reinforced Kai, and used his navy offensively for the first time. He had his brother, Nobushige, in Fukushima split his forces; half would hold the junction near Fukushima, the rest would advance deeper north into Date country. Shingen's spies reported little to fear in the north.
So ten units of Takeda troops loaded onto a ship in Etchu and sailed north, while Nobushige moved into Miyagi. While the ship-bound troops sailed north, Nobushige faced the biggest obstacle the Takeda had seen. At the battle of Fukushima Fields, in 1573, Nobushige met a full twenty units of highly experienced and equipped professional troops north of the junction. Takeda's spies had reported only small Date forces in the area, but this was a Satomi army that had all the tools to devour a Takeda force that was nearly half ashigaru.
Nobushige found a small hill to defend, using the standard Takeda open-field battle tactics perfected by the Daimyo. The archers, out in front, ordered to skirmish, damaged the advancing Date units, but were badly damaged by Satomi archers and scattered by charges from Satomi Light Cav. Satomi Katana Samurai and Naginata crashed into the Takeda Yari.
As the Takeda archers regrouped behind the melee, Nobushige played all his cards. He rallied his troops as he quickly galloped around the left flank. He simultaneously sent his Katana through the gaps in the line, and committed his lone Naginata unit to bolster a flagging Yari position.
Nobushige immediately drew the fire of all the Satomi archers within range, as he moved quickly behind the Satomi units on his left flank. He ordered his archers to also focus their fire on the same position, disregarding the potential effects of friendly fire on his own troops. The sky rained death upon that portion of field, from both camps.
Nobushige turned his nearest Katana unit toward his target, and together they slammed into the rear of the Satomi unit on the far end of their line The combined assault from the Yari, the cav charge, the Katana flank, and the rain of arrows immediately routed the Satomi flank. Nobushige stopped his troops on that flank and turned them to the next Satomi units in the line. Still under crazy missile fire, the General and his left flank troops slammed into the center of the Satomi line. Just as the Takeda right flank began to waver, the Satomi General was killed, pinned between Nobushige and a unit of Yari Samurai. The Satomi attack collapsed, and despite the pleas that his men were exhausted and needed to rest, Nobushige followed his Daimyo's example and chased the routing Satomi as far as he could.
When the troops aboard the ships reached Ugo they found only one or two units defending the castle. Nobushige's was forced to retreat to Fukushima to replenish, and the province endured pillaging from Miyagi and Hitachi.
The troops in Ugo secured the castle, and split to try to capture Uzen and Iwate simultaneously. Uzen, lightly defended fell quickly, as did Miyagi when Nobushige sent a small force from Fukushima. But Iwate experienced a rebellion, and was now held by a full army.
While Nobushige completed the Takeda occupation of the former Date north, Nobutatsu moved into Shimosutke and then Hitachi. This too was essentially a parry, since the defending Satomi forces had been destroyed by Nobushige at the Battle of Fukushima. But Satomi had a strong economy and Hitachi was well-defended, as was Shimosa.
It would take Nobushige five years to solidify his position in the north and take Iwate from the rebels. It finally fell when the rebels attempted to break the siege and were slaughtered. During this period Takeda continued to expand their economy, improve training capability, and create solid armies.
Shingen ordered the construction of additional navies, one to begin to watch Honma and Wako pirates, and one to guard the coast from Miyagi south as the Takeda moved into the coastal provinces of Hitachi and Kazusa. A full navy guarded the frontier at Echizen, and more than once defeated attempts by other factions to ship troops into the soft interior of the Takeda empire. A fleet of trade ships, including Red Seal Ships from Echigo, established trade with the Ainu Villagers for iron.
The end of Shingen, but not the end of the plan
And then he was dead. Takeda Shingen died peacefully, in Kai. The man whose actions led to the deaths of tens of thousands, who had systematically eradicated a half-dozen clans, passed control of his clan to Yoshinubu.
But he passed more than control. The plan to protect Kai, to destroy any potential threat to the Takeda, to march to Kyoto and seize control of the Shogunate were also passed on. With the north nearly under control, and before Yoshinubu had to deal with attacks on his southern border, he ordered the simultaneous assault that his father had engineered.
The army in Hitachi moved into Shimosa, and then Kazusa. The army in Musashi moved up the coast into Sagami and Izu. The newest army, built in Kai and containing mostly professional, well-endowed troops, led by the new Daimyo's heir Tadaie, moved into Suruga and then Totomi, with the goal of continuing down the coast through Mikawa and Owari.
But plans become obsolete once the battle begins. One condition that Shingen had failed to understand and prepare for was that the entire coast was now Christian. Each province would require additional troops, and an increased emphasis on the development of temples and monks. Additional Metsuke to manage towns, and additional ninja to eliminate missionaries were needed.
Another development was the dreaded Realm Divide, and subsequent attacks on Echizen, easily dealt with, and on South Shinano, more problematic due to the nature of the attackers. Strong armies now began to continually assault South Shinano, so using his father's parry technique Yoshinubu went to Shinano himself, and when it was next attacked he defended the fortress, then chased the routing forces and obliterated them. Then he took Mino and set up a frontier fortress there.
The Shogun, fearing the rise of Takeda power, had turned all factions against the clan, including the oldest and friendliest neighbor, the Honma. On the island of Sado, they sat with more than two full armies of high quality troops. Shingen pondered long and hard over the Honma situation. Ultimately, he determined to spare them from annihilation. He knew that it would detract from the overall effort to march on Kyoto. It would require 40-60 units, units that the Takeda economy could ill afford. And despite the Honma acceptance of the Shogun's call, Shingen did not view their declaration of war as treachery. The Honma had been friends longer than anyone, they never broke the treaty until the Realm Divide. He would spare them, as much out of his sense of efficiency as from his lack of desire for needless brutality. A new navy had been built in Echigo, ten ships strong, to do nothing but pillage the Honma harbour and prevent their ships from carrying any troops to the mainland. This proved successful, as Honma never got off their island. Several navies from other factions attempted to reach the island, presumably with the intent of breaking the naval blockade, or transporting troops to the mainland. Their plans were never fulfilled, as each in turn slipped below the surface of the Sea of Japan.
As Tadaie moved along the coast, eventually reaching Owari, his brothers, uncles, and other generals held back to ensure the Christians remained subdued until each province could be safely managed by a smaller garrison (with Monk and Metsuke support). The Pacific Fleet followed along with the advancing front, ensuring no enemy troops were landed behind the lines.
By 1589 the Takeda frontier consisted of Echizen, Mino, and Owari, Shingen's plan for a secure border (with strong navies protecting each coast) was realized. The bulk of Takeda provinces could focus on economy, without need for large garrisons. In fact, most were held by only a single unit – the exceptions being the recently conquered Christians. Despite the lack of trade due to the actions of the Shogun, Takeda economy was generating more koku than ever.
Yoshinubu quickly reorganized his generals and his armies, built up a small bankroll, developed a few key buildings and then in 1591 was ready to resume the expansion.
I can see Kyoto from here
Again, he waited, as his father had taught, for the enemy to attack. This time it was Kitabatake, supported by Asai, who attempted to reclaim Owari and Mino. But now they found more than a few ashigaru in small strongholds. The Takeda frontier was composed of secure fortresses filled with professional troops with four stripes, generals with four or five stars and personal traits that provided many advantages, archers with improved accuracy, fire arrows, and large quivers.
And a time-tested strategy. After breaking the attackers on the Takeda castle walls, the Takeda forces pursued the depleted Kitibatake into Ise, Iga, and Omi. Now the Shogun could see the Takeda for themselves. Echizen, having been held as a blocking fortress for almost 30 years, moved to Wakasa, now held by Christian rebels, and then to Tango. Here again the advance was slowed by the need to maintain control of a rebellious population. The fort in Tango was little more than a shack, and now troops from Bessho began their turn attempting to dislodge Takeda. An emphasis on recruitment and replenishment allowed for sufficient reinforcements to hold that frontier post.
A constant stream of enemy Metsuke, Ninja, Monks, and Missionaries now flowed into the frontier. Despite the loss of several high level agents due to death form old age, as well as attack by enemy agents, Takeda agents maintained numerical superiority and eventually cleared the area of troublemakers.
Ise moved into Yamato, while Omi held firm to prevent any attacks from a well-stocked Kyoto or from beyond. A new army that had been formed from reinforcements took Iga, while Yamato troops grabbed Kii, then Kawachi, then split to grab Harima and Tamba. Tango pushed out to take Tajima.
Takeda had 38 provinces, it was 1595. Time to lay siege to Kyoto.
It doesn't take long to end the siege, as the Shogun's troops sally forth the next season. It is a bloody battle, but Yoshinubu enters Kyoto and claims the title of Shogun. In 1597 he is granted the title.
Bessho continues to crash against the frontier post of Tajima, but the Takeda army is strong and well supported now. After each battle the castle is reinforced and is never truly threatened.
However, Urakami and Ito team up for one last major offensive from Harima. This is the largest battle of the campaign, nearly 60 units on each side. Led by 67 year old Takeda Nobukadu, the lifelong Commissioner of Finance, the only surviving brother of Shingen, the man who held Kai against endless attacks while Shingen led the armies of expansion, the Takeda forces endured the simultaneous attack of Urakami and Ito armies. The battle was often in doubt; only when reinforcements arrived (due to Nobukadu's choice of position, the reinforcements were near the bulk of the fighting and arrived quickly) was the victory imaginable. Sixteen of the original units were completely destroyed, and Nobukadu's guard was reduced to three men. He was forced to abandon his position and move back to allow time for the reinforcements to appear. Despite his numerous acts of bravery over his long life, he was torn between his desire to buy time and his revulsion at leaving his troops to move to a safe position.
Their armies mostly decimated, neither Ito nor Urakami could prevent the Takeda capture of Harima.
Shingen's vision had been realized, his son sat in Kyoto, with no clan able to prevent the eventual conquest of all of Japan by the Takeda clan. The clan had never lost a province because of Shingen's strategy of maintaining a strong frontier with spies to warn of approaching danger. The tactic of parrying attacks – stronghold defense followed by quick attack – allowed a constant expansion with minimal casualties. His decision to rely on ashigaru spears and archers, rather than the the more expensive cavalry, despite the Takeda preference for mounted units, allowed for the economy to support his army despite the lack of trading partners and constant warfare. He had fought a large war on a limited budget, but when the economy allowed, and the battles demanded, he switched from the ashigaru to professionals. The development of strong fleets to patrol the coasts paid off when enemy armies were destroyed before they could land behind Takeda lines.
In the end, Yoshinubu refocused on Shingen's home. In 1598 he began to build a citadel in Kai, and began to produce Yari Cavalry and Katana Cavalry there. Working on developing the art of Epic Architecture, plans were developed to build even greater buildings.
Clan Takeda now faced the largest horizon ever, with potentially the greatest threats still looming. But Shingen's dream of a peaceful, safe Kai, had been fulfilled.
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Originally Posted by Takeda Shogunate
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