Shingen Takeda

Shingen Takeda (武田信玄) first appears as a "Warriors" character in Samurai Warriors. He is the leader of the Takeda clan and Kenshin's rival. He is also known by his historical nickname, the Tiger of Kai. He is a thorough study of the influential Sun Tzu and adopted Fūrinkazan as his army's insignia. His son is Katsuyori, who leads the Takeda after his father's death.

In the first game, he is 45 years old. He's symbolized by his insignia and the kanji for "master" (師).

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors, Shingen is a cynical yet intelligent leader who is an expert of the art of war. He is an idol of sorts for Yukimura. Although he is often seen being assassinated by Hanzō in other characters' scenarios, Shingen lives in his story to subdue the Hojo forces and quells Nobunaga's upstart at Nagashino. In his upper path ending, he defeats the demon king and rebuilds the land with his men and Kenshin.

His story in Samurai Warriors 2 remains the relatively the same except Sakon joins his ranks. He is also jollier than his previous incarnation and makes several jokes on the battlefield, due to his knowledge of The Art of War's advice on psychological warfare. One of his dying quotes suggests that he idolizes Sima Yi which is put into the spotlight again in the second Warriors Orochi. In his story, he defeats Ieyasu at Mikatagahara and feigns his death to catch Nobunaga off guard at Nagashino. He has one last showdown with Kenshin at Kawanakajima before they become fast friends.

His dream mode is an extension of his story mode where Kenshin and him proceed to conquer the remaining parts of the land. Left only with Kyushu, they join forces to defeat the Shimazu clan.

Kessen
Shingen and his massive army appear as an optional foe in the third Kessen. When he is defeated, he dies while he is covered by the Takeda flag (later parodied in Samurai Warriors 2). If the players don't choose to fight him, Nobunaga will receive a report of Shingen dying due to illness.

Development
Designers wanted Shingen to wield his weapon to add variety and to also popularize the historical incident where Shingen fended off his rival with his war fan. To emphasize Shingen's cunning and reliance on strategy, they also added the extra element of his sword being chained to his hilt in the first game. Like Kenshin, his design also resembles various statues made in his image but his mask is considered to be his particular trademark for the series. His revamp for the second game keeps these ideas and alters them to make him the "grappler character" for the game. Although it is hard to see, the Takeda family crest also adorns his back.

Voice Actors

 * Richard Epcar - Samurai Warriors, Kessen III (English)
 * Lateef Martin - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Bob Johnson - Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Daisuke Gōri - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Hidekatsu Shibata - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Swift as the wind!... Well, I was once."
 * "You fought well!"
 * "The people are your castle, your ramparts, your moat. Protect them, and they shall protect you."
 * "Have your people contact my people, maybe we can stab at each other over tea!"
 * "Hey Kenshin, thanks for the salt."
 * "Witness the true art of war! Or something to that effect."
 * "Quick, pretend I'm saying something profound!"
 * "Prepare to be mauled by the Tiger of Kai!"
 * "The dragon and the tiger clash. Which side will destiny favor?"
 * "Ha ha ha! You could use a few years of experience."
 * "Kenshin was an excellent enemy. He should make an even better friend."
 * "I advance in the name of peace, fight in the name of honor."
 * "Whoever moves first in this battle loses... so nobody move."
 * "It matters not how many men you throw at me! I will fell them all!"
 * "And what if I threw kittens at you, Tadakatsu? Would you kill them, too?"
 *  Shingen facing Honda at Mikatagahara; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "You two struggle with each other like fire and water. But fire and water can accomplish great things when they work together. If only you would unite your talents... You could boil your enemies like meat tossed into a scalding stew."
 * "Never! Honor and dishonor can never work together!"
 * "And I'll never get along with that imbecile! I refuse!"
 * "Blast! I was hoping to use that metaphor to get you two to make my lunch."
 * Shingen, Kanetsugu, Masamune; Samurai Warriors 2 Empires


 * "My battle with fate ends this day... Hide my death for three or four years... Bolster the defenses of our land... Nobunaga Oda is not the fool we thought and yet his time will come. He will weaken. That is the time you must head to the capital. Let the Takeda banner fly... free."
 *  Shingen on his death bed; Kessen III


 * "Kenshin, how many times have we fought?"
 * "This is the fourth."
 * "Do you not grow weary of it?"
 * "Why would I?"
 * Shingen and Kenshin, SW 2

Personal Info
Takeda Shingen was born Takeda Katsuchiyo, but was later given the formal name of Takeda Harunobu. In 1551, his name was changed again when he became a monk to his well-known Buddhist name, Takeda Shingen. Shin is the contemporary Chinese pronunciation of the character nobu, which means "believe"; gen means "black", the color of intelligence and truth in Buddhism. Shingen is sometimes referred to as "The Tiger of Kai" (甲斐の虎) for his martial prowess on the battlefield. His primary rival, Uesugi Kenshin, was often called "The Dragon of Echigo" or also "The Tiger of Echigo Province". In Chinese mythology, the dragon and the tiger have always been bitter rivals who try to defeat one another, but they always fight to a draw.

Shingen was a multi-talented daimyo who was skilled in war, a competent diplomat, a patron of the arts, and a good leader in politics. He took time to care for the common folk by encouraging agriculture advancement and civil engineering. His people were taxed with two-thirds rice, one-thirds gold, which was relatively fair compared to other sections in the country. He also trusted his retainers as he made his base of operations a mansion with a single moat as opposed to a castle. Well liked by his retainers and people, Shingen had the utmost confidence in them, stating that good followers are what a daimyo really needs to create a solid defense. Like most daimyo, however, he was just as ruthless and unforgiving to his enemies in combat.

He was also quite the swinger and openly bisexual. He had three wives and several children unaccounted for from his illegitimate affairs. Altogether, he had seven sons and five daughters legally acknowledged under his name.

Early Years
Harunobu was the eldest son of Takeda Nobutora, the eighteenth head of the Takeda clan and lord of the Kai province. His mother was Ooi no Kata (real name unknown) who was Nobutora's first legal wife. He was baptized as a samurai at age 15 and accompanied his father's campaign against Hiraga Genshin at the Battle of Un no Kuchi in 1536. His father was forced to retreat due to heavy snowfall yet Harunobu insisted to lead a rear guard to defend their escape. In reality, he used his troop to take the castle and succeeded with a small group of 300 soldiers. Though he took Hiraga's head and presented it to his father, Nobutora didn't give his son a lick of praise and scolded him for "acting recklessly". Harunobu was publicly disfavored by his father, as his younger brother, Nobushige, received more acknowledgment in the end.

When he learned that his father wanted to remove him from the family and place Nobushige as the head, Harunobu took action. He banded with Nobutora's generals who were impressed with his skill and sent a letter to Imagawa Yoshimoto requesting to help his plight. Yoshimoto agreed and arrested Nobutora once the two met in person. Nobutora wanted to ask for assistance against his son, but, once he saw that he had little power left to him, surrendered the clan to Harunobu. He responded by banishing his father to Suruga Province. Nobushige was allowed to stay with the family and he eventually became one of the Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda.



Conquests
Harunobu's first act was to gain a hold of the area around him. His goal was to conquer Shinano Province. A number of the major daimyos in the Shinano region marched on the border of Kai Province, hoping to neutralize the power of the still-young Harunobu before he had a chance to expand into their lands. However, planning to beat him down at Fuchu (where word had it Harunobu was gathering his forces for a stand), they were unprepared when Takeda forces suddenly came down upon them at the battle of Sezawa. Taking advantage of their confusion, Harunobu was able to score a quick victory, which set the stage for his drive into Shinano lands that same year. The young warlord made considerable advances into the region, conquering the Suwa headquarters in the siege of Kuwabara before moving into central Shinano with the defeat of both Tozawa Yorichika and Takato Yoritsugu. However, the warlord was checked at Uehara by Murakami Yoshikiyo, losing two of his generals in a heated battle which Murakami won. Harunobu managed to avenge this loss and the Murakami clan was eventually defeated. Murakami fled the region, eventually coming to plead for help from the Uesugi clan.

After he had conquered Shinano, Shingen (the name he had taken in 1551) faced another rival, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo. The feud between them became almost legendary, and they faced each other on the battlefield five times at the battles of Kawanakajima. These battles were generally confined to controlled skirmishes, neither daimyo willing to devote himself entirely to a single all-out attempt. The conflict between the two that had the fiercest fighting, and might have decided victory or defeat for one side or the other, was the fourth battle, during which the famous tale arose of Uesugi Kenshin's forces clearing a path through the Takeda troops and Kenshin engaging Shingen in single combat. The tale has Kenshin attacking Shingen with his sword while Shingen defends with his iron war fan or tessen. Both lords lost many men in this fight, and Shingen in particular lost two of his main generals, Yamamoto Kansuke and his younger brother Takeda Nobushige.

Around this time the Takeda clan suffered two internal setbacks. Shingen uncovered two plots on his life, the first from his cousin Katanuma Nobumoto (whom he ordered to commit seppuku), and the second, a few years later, from his own son Takeda Yoshinobu. His son was confined to the Tokoji, where he died two years later; it is not known whether his death was natural or ordered by his father. This left Takeda Shingen, for the moment, without an heir. However, he later had more sons, the fourth of whom, Takeda Nobumori, took control of the Takeda clan after Shingen's death.

By 1564, after he had completely defeated the Shinano Province and taken a number of castles from his rival the Uesugi clan, Shingen kept his realm fairly contained, contenting himself with a number of small raids and internal affairs. During this time he ordered the damming project of the Fuji River, which was one of the major domestic activities of the time. By this time, he's regarded as having one of the most fearsome cavalry units in the country.

After Imagawa Yoshimoto (a former ally of the Takeda) was killed by Oda Nobunaga, Shingen made a move against the weak Imagawa clan, incompetently led by Yoshimoto's son Imagawa Ujizane. Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu are believed to have made a pact to share the remaining Imagawa lands between them, and they both fought against Yoshimoto's heir. However, the agreement between the Takeda and Tokugawa forces quickly fell through, and after the Imagawa were no longer an issue, Shingen made a move against Ieyasu.

Last battle and death
When Takeda Shingen was 49 years old, he was the only daimyo with the necessary power and tactical skill to stop Oda Nobunaga's rush to rule Japan. He engaged Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces in 1572 and captured Futamata, and in January engaged in the battle of Mikatagahara, where he defeated, but not decisively, a small combined army of Nobunaga and Ieyasu. After defeating Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shingen stopped his advance for a while due to outside influences, which allowed Tokugawa to prepare for battle again. He entered Mikawa Province, but soon died of illness in camp. A popular legend states that he actually died to a gunshot wound, in which Shingen was sniped whilst trying to listen to delightful flute music from the enemy camp.

He was buried at Erin-ji in what is now Kōshū, Yamanashi. A festival is held in his honor in the first weekend of April at Kofu.