Text by Sanae Hojo
"Sun Tzu's Art of War" has a cloud: "The first army is to attack and strategize, the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and then the next is to attack the city". In troubled times when forces are intertwined, diplomacy is more important than military affairs. Zhao's defeat at the Battle of Changping was first due to a diplomatic failure that led to a confrontation between Zhao and Qin, and the demise of the Takeda family also began with a seemingly inconsequential defeat.
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The Rise of the Takeda Family:
Takeda Shingen's family rose to prominence seven hundred years before Japan's Warring States period
Several famous generals of the Takeda family were all Takeda's old enemies in the early days
Hojo Sakumo disturbed the Kanto region, and the Takeda family was forced to fight with Imagawa and Hojo
Yoshimoto Imagawa's father almost killed Shingen Takeda's father
The Takeda family recruited ronins from outside the country to suppress the locals, and was able to complete the centralization of power
Takeda blocked the joint attack of Imagawa and Hojo and consolidated the gains of centralization
Takeda has defeated Imagawa and Hojo many times, why did he suddenly withdraw from the Kanto hegemony
From Kai guardianship to true unification of Kai, the road of the Takeda family is so tortuous
The friendship between Shingen Takeda and Yoshimoto Imagawa was formed in his father's generation
Takeda Shingen's first battle foreshadowed the strategic direction of the following decades
The Demise of the Takeda Family:
The decline of the Takeda family began with the decline of its old enemies, the Uesugi family
Takeda Katsuyori's northward advance
At the time of the Godate Rebellion, the Hojo clan was in a confrontation with the Hitachi Satake clan and other people in the northern Kanto region, and was unable to provide timely support to Echigo Province.
At this moment, the Hojo clan remembered his ally Takeda Katsuyori, and asked Takeda Katsuyori to send troops to Echigo Province and pull his brother-in-law Uesugi Keitora along.
In mid-May, Takeda Katsuyori sent Takeda Nobutoyo as a forward force to Kaitsu Castle in Shinano Province to join Kaisuga Tora Tsuna, the Joshiro of Kaizu Castle. On the 23rd, Takeda Nobutoyo led his army to Echigo Province.
At the same time, war broke out on the Shin-Etsu border due to the Gokan Rebellion. On 27 May, Masahide Komorisawa, the defender of Echigo Kunizuma Arijo Castle of Uesugi Keikatsukata, led an army to attack Iiyama Castle in Shinano Province, and was eventually defeated by the defenders of Iiyama Castle.
On June 4, Takeda Katsuyori personally led his army from Kofu to Echigo Province, and Uesugi Keikatsu was in a predicament on all sides, Aizu Ashina invaded Echigo Province, and the Oda family launched an attack on Vietnam, and the Takeda Army and Hojo Army also came to Echigo Province.
If the Takeda Army joined the battle of the "Gokan Rebellion", the outnumbered Uesugi Keikatsu would definitely be defeated. Under such circumstances, Uesugi Keikatsu decided to make peace talks with the Takeda family in a desperate gamble and sent an envoy to the camp of Takeda Nobutoyo, the vanguard of the Takeda army.
To Uesugi Keikatsu's delight, on 7 June he received a reply letter from Katsushi Takabe, a major minister of the Takeda family, in which Katsushi Kuebe said that Katsuyori Takeda was willing to negotiate peace with Katsukatsu Uesugi.
On the 12th, after receiving the affidavit written by Uesugi Keikatsu, Takeda Nobutoyo sent another letter to the Uesugi family, informing him that Takeda Katsuyori had taken up battle at Kaizu Castle.
Just two days after Takeda Katsuyori entered Kaizu Castle, Kaizu Castle Castle Castle Tsuro Kasuga Torsuna died of illness in the castle, and his son Kasuga Shinda succeeded his father as Joyo.
There are three main conditions for the peace talks proposed by Uesugi Keikatsu: First, the Uesugi family will cede the territories of Okushinano and Higashi-Ueno. The second is that the Uesugi family will offer gold to the Takeda family. The third is that Uesugi Keikatsu hopes to enter into a marriage relationship with the Takeda family.
Takeda Katsuyori accepted all of this, and while accepting the North Shinano territory ceded in the Covenant, he continued to march towards Echigo Province, and sent his younger brother Nishina Morinobu to capture Nechi Castle in Echigo Province.
On June 29, Takeda Katsuyori led his army to Kasugayama Castle to take battle, and Takeda Nobutoyo then sent an envoy to Kasugayama Castle to report the incident to Uesugi Keikatsu.
At the same time, Takeda Nobutoyo's envoy also said that although the Takeda family agreed to negotiate peace with Uesugi Keikatsu, they would not abandon Uesugi Keitor, but hoped that Uesugi Keikatsu and the Uesugi Keitora brothers would reach a peace and end this civil strife.
Why did Katsuyori Takeda risk betraying his allies to negotiate peace with Keikatsu Uesugi? What did he think? Some people in Japan speculate that Takeda Katsuyori was worried that after Uesugi Keitora succeeded to the governorship, the Takeda family would be surrounded by the power of the Hojo family, so he wanted to keep Uesugi Keikatsu's position as the governor.
This statement is actually quite outrageous, and it is completely a point of view taken for granted by people who do not know the system of the Sengoku daimyo family.
Not to mention that in the Warring States period, fathers, sons, and brothers killed each other, and the Sengoku daimyo at that time did not actually have an absolute right to speak at home, and many policies had to be decided after consultation with important ministers, such as the Takeda family, the Uesugi family, and even the Oda family and the Tokugawa family.
For example, when Takeda Shingen exiled Takeda Shinto, did he really want to break with his father and end up infamous as an unfilial son? No, the real mastermind behind the exile of Shinhu is not Takeda Shingen, but the retainers behind the family governor.
Therefore, even if Uesugi Keitora inherited the Uesugi family, would they really let the Uesugi family, who had the personality of the Kanto steward, become the retainers of the Hojo family?
Actually, Takeda's idea is fairly simple. At this time, the Takeda family and the Uesugi family were on the front line of the war with the Oda family, and if the Uesugi family's "Godate Rebellion" was prolonged, the "Nobunaga encirclement network" built by Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Mori Terumoto would be flawed.
And Takeda Katsuyori joined the war because of the request of the Hojo family, if the arrival of the Takeda army was not able to calm the chaos in Echigo Province in a short time, once the Oda family and the Tokugawa family took advantage of Takeda Katsuyori to invade the Takeda domain in Echigo, then it would be a catastrophe for the Takeda family.
Therefore, for Takeda Katsuyori, it is the best choice to calm down the "Gokan Rebellion" as soon as possible, and to let Uesugi Keikatsu and Uesugi Keitora negotiate peace is the fastest way to quell the turmoil.
Takeda Katsuyori perfidious in order to deal with Oda
However, Takeda Katsuyori did not think of one of the most critical things. It was not impossible for the Takeda family to negotiate peace with Uesugi Keikatsu, but one of the prerequisites was that they had to inform their allies in advance, the Hojo clan.
The Hojo clan was unaware of the situation in Echigo Province, and thought that Takeda Katsuyori had marched into Echigo Province to attack Kasuga Mountain Castle, so he had to open champagne at home to celebrate his younger brother Uesugi Keitora inheriting the Yamauchi Uesugi family.
At this time, the Takeda family's Ueno Kuniwa Castle Castle Castle Sanada Masayuki suddenly sent troops to capture Numata Castle on the side of Uesugi Keitor, which made the Hojo clan confused. After protesting to Takeda Katsuyori, Takeda Katsuyori ordered Sanada Masayuki to withdraw his troops from Numata Castle.
On 19 August, Katsuyori Takeda and Keikatsu Uesugi exchanged petitions, and the two sides formally concluded an alliance. In the covenant, Takeda Katsuyori emphasized his neutrality in the "Gokan Rebellion" and formed an offensive and defensive alliance with Uesugi Keikatsu against Oda Nobunaga.
Uesugi Keitora originally did not agree to peace talks with Uesugi Keikatsu, but under pressure from the Takeda Army, he reluctantly agreed to Takeda Katsuyori's request the next day and reached a rapprochement with Uesugi Keikatsu.
In order to thank Takeda Katsuyori, Uesugi Keikatsu gave Takeda Katsuyori a sword and a thousand money, and the important ministers of the Takeda family also received gifts from the Uesugi family.
鲛尾城的末路
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On 24 August, the Tokugawa family launched an attack on Koyama Castle in Enoe Province, and Tokugawa Ieyasu sent a special force across the Oi River to harvest ripe rice near Suruga Kunita Nakajo.
The Tokugawa family's offensive in Enoe Province and Suruga Province worried Takeda Katsuyori, and since the Echigo army had been very fruitful, he began to withdraw his troops from Echigo Province on the 28th.
During the retreat of the Takeda Army, Uesugi Keikatsu and Uesugi Keihu fought again, and they had to fight to the death.
On the other hand, due to his alliance with Takeda Katsuyori, Uesugi Keikatsu was able to withdraw from the defense of Shinano Province and concentrate on arranging defenses in Uigano Province, Echigo Province, where the Hojo Army must pass through from Ueno Province to Echigo Province.
At this time, the Hojo army also doubled the pressure of Takeda Katsuyori's retreat, and the Hojo army's commanders, the Hojo clan and the Uesugi family's Jinghu, sent retainers Hojo Takahiro and Kawada Shigekini to launch a fierce attack on the Ueda Nagao family's Sakado Castle, but the Ueda people who defended the castle also realized that Sakado Castle was the key to the Godate Rebellion, so their resistance was very stubborn.
In September, Hojo Takahiro left the forces attacking Sakado Castle and returned to his hometown of Hojo Castle, and then led his army into the Imperial Palace in October to join Uesugi Keitora.
As the snow began to fall in Echigo Province in October, and it became difficult to enter the Kami-Etsu border due to heavy snowfall, the Hojo clan, who had already arrived in Ueno Province, had to abandon his plan to enter Echigo Province in winter.
In addition, due to the sudden drop in temperature, the Hojo army lord under Sakado Castle assigned the siege task of the Hojo clan to the people of Higashi-Ueno, and he returned to the Kanto wife and children to Rekangtou.
This move by the Hojo clan caused great dissatisfaction among the Higashi-Kamino people, and the offensive against Sakado Castle slowed down.
Taking advantage of the Hojo Army being blocked at Sakado Castle, Uesugi Keikatsu launched a fierce attack on the Imperial Palace, and Uesugi Keitorakata suffered heavy losses. In November, Honjo Hidetsuna of the Keiho faction fled from the Imperial Palace, and Uesugi Keitora's military morale began to waver.
In February of the 7th year of Tensho (1579), Uesugi Keikatsu launched a general attack on the Imperial Palace, and Uesugi Keitora's important retainer Hojo Keihiro was killed in battle, and Keitoraka's morale was low, and soldiers began to flee.
In addition, in the direction of Uedanoso, the defenders of Sakado Castle took advantage of the absence of the Hojo Army to launch a strong attack on Kashizawa Castle, which was defended by Keitora sent Higashi-Ueno, and captured the castle in mid-February, and the Higashi-Ueno, who supported Uesugi Keitora, retreated to Kanto.
On March 17, due to the severe shortage of military rations in the Imperial Palace, the former Kanto governor Uesugi Kenmasa persuaded Uesugi Keitora to surrender and sent his son Michimanmaru to Kasuga Yamajo Castle as a hostage, while he personally went to Uesugi Keikatsu's camp to mediate.
However, at the time of the extradition of the hostages, Uesugi Kenmasa and Michimanmaru were suddenly attacked by Uesugi Keikatsu's retainers, and the two were killed. After cutting off the road to peace talks, the defenders in the palace were even more panicked, and the phenomenon of soldiers fleeing became even more serious.
Uesugi Kenmasa, a former Kanto governor who was respected by Kenshin Uesugi
The old face is not easy to use
On the night of March 18, Uesugi Keitora set fire to the Imperial Pavilion and fled towards Shinano Province with the remnants of his army, while Uesugi Keitora's wife committed suicide in the Imperial Pavilion.
When passing by Sharko Castle, the Horie clan, who had already joined the command of Uesugi Keikatsu, saw the embarrassed Uesugi Jinghu, and moved to compassion and did not attack them, but welcomed the group into Sharko Castle.
However, Uesugi Keikatsu was naturally unwilling to let go of Uesugi Keihu, and the army of Keisheng faction soon came to the castle and surrounded the castle. On the 24th, the lord of Sameo Castle, the Horie clan, surrendered to Kaicheng, and at the same time that the army of the Keikatsu faction attacked the castle, Uesugi Keitora committed suicide and died at the age of twenty-six.
Takeda Yohojo feud
On the 8th day of the first month of the 7th year of Tensho (1579), Katsuyori Takeda and Nao Hojo sent letters to each other to celebrate the New Year.
Although the withdrawal of the Takeda family in the previous year put Uesugi Keitora in a difficult situation, the Hojo clan at this time wanted to support Uesugi Keigora wholeheartedly, and did not want to offend Takeda Katsuyori for the time being, so he asked his son Hojo clan to continue to maintain a superficial peace with the Takeda family.
However, on the 28th of the same month, the Hojo clan sent his younger brother Hojo Ieru to secretly go to Tokugawa Ieyasu, an enemy of the Takeda family, and sent Tokugawa Ieyasu gifts such as swords and horses to start diplomacy with the Tokugawa family.
With the defeat of Uesugi Keitor, Takeda Katsuyori knew that he was at a loss, and he was very worried that the Hojo family would break off relations with the Takeda family because of this. In order to avoid a surprise attack and not having time to react, Takeda Katsuyori ordered Masatsuki Naito, the second son of Masatoshi Hoshina and the adopted son of Masahide Naito, to enter Minowa Castle in Ueno Province as the castle representative.
In late February, news spread on the border between the Takeda and Hojo clans that the Takeda Army was preparing to attack Izu Province, and the Hojo clan ordered the reinforcement of the defenses of Nirayama Castle in Izu Province. When Takeda Katsuyori learned of the Hojo family's movements, he also began to defend the border.
Since the Takeda family had already formed an alliance with the Uesugi family at this time, the defense that the Takeda family had arranged in Kita-Shinano was meaningless, so Takeda Katsuyori ordered Kaizu Castle Castle Shiro Kasuga Shinda to lead the Kawanaka Island people to the border defense between Suruga Province and Izu Province.
Instead, Takeda Katsuyori ordered his former retainer, Abe Munesada, to enter Kaizu Castle.
The Kawanakashima people were the main force of the Kawanakajima War, and they were also the only troops of the Takeda family that preserved the combat effectiveness of the Takeda Shingen era after the Nagashino War.
In addition, Takeda Katsuyori also ordered Naito Masatsuki to transfer Ueno Province to subordinate the Hojo family's Jinghu faction forces at this time, Hojo Takahiro and Kawada Shigekin. Wooing allies' retainers was considered a betrayal of the alliance in the eyes of the diplomacy of the time.
On August 20, hearing that Tokugawa Ieyasu might launch an attack on Suruga Province, Takeda Katsuyori led his army into Suruga Province.
On the 28th, Hojo Takahiro of Stablebridge Castle declared his subordination to the Takeda family, and as a condition, Takeda Katsuyori sent an envoy to Kasuga Yamajo Castle to meet with Uesugi Keikatsu, asking Uesugi Keikatsu to pardon Hojo Takahiro and return to him the old lords of the Mori Hojo family, including Hojo Castle in Echigo Province.
At this time, the Hojo clan still didn't want to fight with the Takeda family, saying that if the Takeda family and the Hojo family fought, it would hurt the people on the border. However, Katsuyori Takeda did not think so.
Since the Tokugawa family did not launch an attack on Suruga Province, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the construction of Mikahashi Castle in Numazu on the border of Suruga Province and Izu Province, and appointed Kasuga Shinda as the castle representative of Mikatsubashi Castle. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the defense object of Mikabashi Castle is the Hojo family.
Takeda Katsuyori's shameless behavior can be said to be breathtaking, and the Hojo clan can no longer tolerate the inconsistency between the Takeda family.
On September 3, the Hojo clan ordered the severance of diplomatic relations with the Takeda family, and at the same time said that he had endured the Takeda family since the Gokan Rebellion, but Takeda Katsuyori was inconsistent and inconsistent, and pressed the Hojo family step by step, so the Hojo family was forced to resist.
After that, Hojo Clan personally led his army to Mishima in Izu Province to confront Takeda Katsuyori, who was fighting in Numazu.
Although the Hojo clan is not as good as his father Hojo Shiyasu
It's not easy to mess with
On September 6, the Totachi Satake family sent a letter to the Aizu Ashina family, saying that they had heard that the Takeda family had broken off relations with the Hojo family. The Satake family and the Hojo family have always been in a state of hostility, so Takeda Katsuyori began to negotiate an alliance with the Satake family in order to contain the Hojo family's eastern front battlefield.
In October, the Takeda family and the Satake family exchanged oaths, and the two families concluded an alliance that was also known as the "Kosa League" because the Satake family did not unify Hitachi Province.
On the other hand, although Takeda Katsuyori lost the Hojo family as an ally, he began to make friends with his old enemies, the Uesugi family, as a substitute. In order to strengthen his alliance with the Uesugi family, Takeda Katsuyori sent an envoy to Echigo Province on September 7 to discuss an agreement with Uesugi Keikatsu the previous year.
On September 17, Kikuhime traveled from Kofu to Kasugayama Castle to marry Uesugi Keikatsu, and the Ko-Vietnam Alliance was established.
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