Uesugi Kenshin

Uesugi Kenshin(上杉謙信) (February 18, 1530 - April 19, 1578) was a warlord who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku Period of Japan.

Uesugi Kenshin was one of the many powerful lords of the Sengoku-jidai. He is famed for his prowess on the battlefield, his military expertise, strategy and his belief in the god of war - Bishamonten. Kenshin was known to also be an alcoholic.

His original name was Nagao Kagetora(長尾景虎). Later he consecutively changed his name to Uesugi Masatora(上杉政虎), to Uesugi Terutora(輝虎) and finally to Kenshin after he became a Buddhist monk; in particular, he would become renowned for being a devotee (some said avatar) of Bishamonten. For the majority of this description, the name of Kenshin will be used.

Born the fourth son of the noted warrior Nagao Tamekage, Kenshin's early life presents a unique story. His father had gained some renown as a warlord through his military victories over Uesugi Sadanori and Uesugi Funayoshi. However, in later years, Tamekage found himself at odds with the neighboring Ikko-ikki of Hokuriku, and as the political power in the region started to shift in favor of this rival clan (due largely to the sudden rise of the Honganji), the situation for Echigo quickly deteriorated. It came to a peak in 1536, when Kenshin's father gathered up an army and marched westward, his aim uncertain. However, upon arriving at Sendanno in Etchu, his forces were suddenly attacked by Enami Kazuyori, and in the resulting battle Tamekage himself was slain, and his army put to flight. The impact back at Echigo was immediate. Harukage, Tamekage's eldest son, immediately made his bid for control of the Nagao, and succeeded in this claim after a power struggle which resulted in the death of one of his brothers, Kageyasu. Kagetora {Kenshin) was removed from the conflict and relocated to Rizen-ji, where he spent his life from 7 to 14 dedicated to study.

At the age of fourteen, Kenshin was suddenly contacted by Usami Sadamitsu and a number of others. They urged the young Nagoa son to go to Echigo and contest his older brother's rule. It would seem that Harukage hadn't proven the most effective or inspiring leader, and his failure to exert control over the powerful kokujin families had resulted in a situation which was nearly to the point of tearing the province apart.

As the story is told, at first Kenshin was reluctant to take the field against his own brother, but was eventually convinced that it was necessary to the survival of Echigo. In a series of engagements led by himself and Usami Sadamitsu, Kenshin succeeded in wresting control of the clan from Harukage in 1547. Harukage's own fate is uncertain, as certain sources claim he was allowed to live, but others record his forced suicide.

Though his rule over the Nagao clan was now unquestioned, much of Echigo was still independent of this young warlord's grasp. Kenshin immediately set out to cement his power in the region, but these efforts were still in their infant stages when a far more pressing concerns appeared. Ogasawara Nagatoki and Murakami Yoshikiyo, two Shinani lords, both appeared before Kenshin requesting his help in halting the advances of the powerful warlord Takeda Shingen. Around the time Kenshin became the new lord of Echigo, Takeda Shingen had won major victories in Shinano Province. With the Takeda's conquests taking them remarkably close to the borders of Echigo, Kenshin agreed to take the field.

What followed was the beginning of a rivalry which became the stuff of legends. In the first conflict between the two, both Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen were very cautious, only commiting themselves to a small skirmish which came out indecisively. Over the years, there would eventually be a total number of five such engagements at the famous site of kawanakajima, though only the fourth would prove to be a serious, all-out battle between the two.

In the year of 1561, Kenshin and Shingen fought the biggest battle they would fight, the fourth battle of Kawanakajima. Kenshin used an ingenious tactic: a special formation where the soldiers in the front would switch with the soldiers in back as those in the frontline became tired or wounded. This allowed the tired soldiers to take a break while the soldiers who had not seen action would fight on the frontlines. This was extremely effective and because of this Kenshin nearly defeated Shingen. In this battle is the tale of Kenshin riding up to Shingen and slashing at him with his sword. Shingen fended off the blows with his iron war fan or tessen. However, Kenshin failed to finish Shingen off. Hara Osumi-no-kami drove Kenshin away and Shingen made a counter-attack. The Uesugi army retreated and many drowned in a nearby river while others were cut down by Takeda's generals.

The result of the fourth battle of Kawanakajima is still uncertain, and many scholars are divided on who the actual victor was, if the battle was actually decisive enough to even declare one.

Shingen died in 1573, and Kenshin was said to have wept at the loss of so worthy an adversary.

Though his rivalry with Takeda Shingen was legendary, Uesugi Kenshin actually had a number of other ventures occuring around the times of these famous battles (1553, 1555, 1557, 1561, 1564). In the year 1551, Kenshin was called upon to provide refuge for his nominal lord, Uesugi Norimasa, who had been forced to flee there due to the expansion into the Kanto by the Hojo clan. Kenshin agreed to give the warlord shelter, but was not in a position at the time to move against the Hojo. In the year 1559, he made a trip to pay homage to the shogun in Kyoto, and visited many religious and historical sites in the area. This served to heighten his reputation considerably, and added to his image as a cultured leader as well as a warlord. This same year he was pushed once again by Uesugi Norimasa to take control of the Kanto back from the Hojo, and in 1560 he was able to comply. Heading a campaign against the Hojo, Kenshin was successful in taking a number of castles from the clan, which ended in his striking against the Odawara Castle in Sagami Province. He managed to break the defenses and burn the town, but the castle itself remained unconquered, and lack of supplies forced his retreat soon after. However, it was during this time that he visited the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine and took the name Uesugi.

The other main area which interesting Uesugi Kenshin was the Etchu Province. The land was a inhabited by two feuding clans, the Jinbo and the Shiina. Kenshin entered the dispute as a mediator for some time, but he later took sides with the Shiina and took over the Jinbo clan. A number of years later, he then took the field against the Shiina (for seeming a bit too friendly with the Takeda), and when he took their main castle in 1575, the Etchu Province was effectively under his control.

Starting in the year 1576, Kenshin began to consider the issue of Oda Nobunaga, Japan's most powerful warlord of the time. With both Takeda Shingen and Hojo Ujiyasu dead, Kenshin was no longer blocked off from this realm of expansion. So, when the death of a Noto lord in the area sparked up confusion and conflict, Kenshin was quick to use the opportunity, taking land from the weakened clan which put him in a position to threaten Nobunaga and his allies. In response, Nobunaga pulled together his own forces and those of two of his generals to meet Kenshin at Tedorigawa. Some figures estimate Nobunaga's forces at up to 50,000 strong, and Kenshin's to be in the area of 30,000. If this information is accurate, it would make the battle between the two one of the largest fought in the Sengoku period.

Despite Nobunaga's overwhelming numbers, Kenshin managed to score a solid victory on the field, and Nobunaga pulled back to Omi while Kenshin contented himself with building a few forts in Kaga before returning back to Echigo. In the winter of 1577-1578, Uesugi Kenshin arranged to put forth a grand army to continue his assaults into Nobunaga's land. However, he was reported to be in horrid health during this time, and on April 9th he suffered a type of seizure while using the lavatory. He died four days later.

The cause of Kenshin's death has been questioned throughout the years. The theory accepted by most Japanese scholars is that a lifetime of heavy drinking and perhaps stomach cancer spelled the end for the great warlord. Other sources hold that he was in fact assassinated, and a ninja who had hidden out in the area stabbed him when he was using the lavatory.

It is said that upon hearing of Kenshin's death, Oda Nobunaga remarked, "Now the empire is mine," though this does not necessarily mean that he had any hand in it. It is also said that he was as devout a drinker, if not an alcoholic.

Uesugi Kenshin's death was disasterous for the clan. He never had any sons but adopted two different sons who would be his heirs. Unfortunately, upon their adopted father's death, the two immediately entered into a power struggle, which ended with Uesugi Kagekatsu being the clan's new ruler. However, the internal struggle had cost them too much time and energy, and Oda Nobunaga had no problem taking over the majority of their lands quickly, going right up to the border of Echigo.

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