Takeda Shingen (1467-1573), warlord of Kai mountains (or Yamanashi today), was a worthy descendant of the Minamoto clan (click here for story and pictures). 'Takeda' means 'warrior field', while 'Shingen' means 'new sword'. There couldn't have been a more appropriate name to address this man by.

This is how he looks like when commanding his troops in 1572. He was 50 years old when the long war began; his enemy Oda Nobunaga was 37 and Tokugawa Ieyasu was only 29. That Shingen is the Chief of chiefs of his clan is signified by the black battle-fan that he got to hold upright all the time. It serves as a signalling tool, too.

Around him are personal guards; the two boys in red armor are Lord Takeda's valets. In times of war, they, too, must take up arms and go to the battlefield; their utmost duty is to protect their Lord against any bodily harm. Because of this fixed arrangement of seats, they got to form a human shield whenever needed.

Takeda Katsuyori (1546-1582), Shingen's son, in a most grotesque moment of the movie: he doesn't seize the Takatenjin castle -- he burns it to the ground. I think this movie takes on a rather unfair view of Katsuyori. He was a good warrior and able strategician, worthy of the clan's name, even if his dad was simply too great.

Actually Takeda Katsuyori married Oda Nobunaga's 13 year-old adopted daughter some years back; but she died after giving birth to their son and heir, Takeda Takemaru (a.k.a Takeda Taro, a.k.a Takeda Nobukatsu, 1567-1582). The kid is one of the major features in this movie, although the little actor in the role could only give us a very amateurish and unnatural acting.

Despite the name that was snatched from the best parts of the kid's grandpa's (Oda Nobunaga's 'great') and dad's (Takeda Katsuyori's 'victory') names, so 'Nobukatsu' means 'great victory', his life was no longer than 15 years -- and he died in the very last battle of the clan's against the Oda army, by which utter defeat the Takedas would never, ever, rise again.

Although more or less victimized by the Japanwidely-famous '24 Takeda Generals' -- all of whom seemed to always be found standing in Katsuyori's way, adding unnecessary barricade to the already wide gap between him and Takeda Shingen, it was probably just bad luck that Takeda Katsuyori got to face men like Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu as rival warlords trying to unite Japan.

He shouldn't have to, if only he minded his own business as daddy's testament said he must.

Here at the beautiful castle near the lake of Suwa Katsuyori wonders what could possibly be wrong, why the shadow of Shingen keeps haunting the battles that he by himself has won.

The real Suwa castle in 2005

The real Takatenjin in 2005

Click here for detailed and complete maps of Japan, all the provinces and warlords, and locations of all the places mentioned in this movie.

Takeda Generals surveying the outlay of the fateful Nagashino battle, the last great one for the clan. Still holding on to Sun Tzu's art of war, even naming divisions as (rapid like) Fire, (swift as the) Wind, (quiet as a) Forest and (immovable as a) Mountain, the invincible Takeda Army is now still great in number, but something has been lost since Shingen's death, and nobody knows what that is.....

Perhaps because Takeda Shingen's division was named Mountain -- even Shingen himself was used to be referred to as 'The Great Mountain', 'O-yama'. Now The Mountain has gone.

The Generals just know it that their time has passed and it is useless to move on with the old dream of unifying Japan and marching to Kyoto to get the Emperor's blessings as the Supreme Commander of Japan. Time belongs to the younger clans and lords; everything is going Oda Nobunaga's way.

Nagashino itself is just one single outlaying fortress that Tokugawa Ieyasu has just taken from the Takeda, that previously claimed it from the Imagawa clan. Though seemingly insignificant, Nagashino is a strategic point for anybody wishing to control the whole Japan.

When Takeda Katsuyori leads 15,000 men to this place to take it back, the castle is only defended by 500 men under the command of Okudaira Sadamasa, a Tokugawa captain. Tokugawa Ieyasu is only able to assemble 8,000 soldiers (and that is already almost all that the clan consists of), so he naturally asks for help.

Oda Nobunaga is expected to send 6,000 men commanded by one of his Generals.

But, thinking that the Tokugawan Nagashino is actually the last site of his own clan's defense system, Oda surprises everyone by leading 30,000 soldiers himself to join the Tokugawa Army at Nagashino.

Smaller in number and far less famous, the Oda cavalry relies entirely on their Lord's spirit to outdo whatever the legendary Takeda cavaliers will.

Around 10,000 or a third of the Oda soldiers marching to Nagashino are gunners. Routinely featured in Japanese war movies and history books, this simple array of the Oda snipers behind thick wooden fences that each has carried a part of, has snatched victory even before the battle begins.

Oda Nobunaga's idea of a nonstop firing with lancers' attacks during the intervals sounds weird, but his men under the command of General Okubo Tadayo translate it effectively, in the best synchronization with the cavalry under General Sakuma Nobumori and Sassa Narimasa whose job was to act as 'baits' to the Takeda Army.

By the way, Oda Nobunaga is the inventor of cyclical firing as a war technique, you know; he had done this 30 years before Europeans ever tried it at all. Click here for complete pictures and explanation of the cyclical firing trick.

Click here for story and pictures of Oda's Generals and Captains. Or click here for real-life battle array of Nagashino and the important Oda Generals that are not even mentioned in this movie.

Takeda Shingen's funeral in 1575, three years after his death, is the sign of the twilight of the clan. Katsuyori, in real history, moved his capital out of Kofu to Nirasaki. He actully managed to steer his constantly diminishing human resources (even his relatives deserted the clan) through rough waters for another few years. Then what remains of the clan, no more than 90 people -- most of which are Shingen's sons, daughters, and grandchildren -- all died in Hirayashiki after losing yet another battle against Oda Nobunaga. The Takeda clan virtually perished in 1579, when even Takeda Takemaru fought until death. And Oda Nobunaga executed Takeda Nobukado who escaped from the last battle.

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