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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.
In 1548, Kenshin became the owner of the castle of Haruyama and was engaged in the five Battles of Kawanakajima with Takeda Shingen.
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.
His death has always been veiled in mystery. According to some records he was found dead while he was on the lavatory. One theory says a ninja assassinated him with a spear after having hid some time under it, another is that he died of stomach cancer. The theory of planned murder might not be far from truth, as ninja were often used for secret actions of this nature during Kenshin's period, though their actual effectiveness for assassinations is dubious. (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 though said that he was as devout a drinker, if not an alcoholic, as he was a Buddhist.)
Kenshin Uesugi Life Summary
Kenshin Uesugi was one of the many powerful lords of the Sengoku-Jidai period. He is famed for his prowess on the battlefield, his military expertise, strategy and his belief in the god of war-Bishamonten. Kenshin Uesugi was known to also be an alchoholic. He never had any sons but adopted two different sons who would be his heirs.
Kenshin Uesugi was born in Echigo province and was the son of a powerful warlord. Kenshin's father died in battle, starting tumult and civil war in Echigo where he was the ruler. Kenshin Uesugi fought with his brother and won, thus recieving his fathers lands and becoming a powerful daimyo of the time. He had gained Echigo but had not completly unified it. Kenshin Uesugi's unification of Echigo was a slow process that probably was not completed till much later.
Around the time Kenshin had become the new lord of Echigo, Shingen Takeda had won victories in Shinano. The two provinces (Shinano and Echigo) share a border and are very close to one another. Shingen Takeda gained dominion over Shinano by defeating a few minor lords and then defeating Yoshioki Murakami, the leader of the powerful Murakami clan. The Takeda originally situated in Kai, had expanded northwards. Kenshin watched these activities with alarm. Soon after Yoshioki Murakami was defeated, he and another lord went to Kenshin and asked him to help them against Shingen. Shingen's northward advance had worried Kenshin Uesugi and so he agreed to fight against Shingen Takeda. The two fought many battles at Kawanakajima though neither side gained any great advantage.
After 3 battles at Kawanakajima, Kenshin Uesugi expanded his domain to include Etchu province by fighting various lords there as well. After this he and Shingen Takeda fought the biggest battle they would fight, the 4th battle of Kawanakajima. Shingen won this battle but at great cost. At the beginning of the fight Shingen's brother was killed. Soon after Kenshin used an ingenious tactic. He used a special formation where the soldiers in the front would switch with the soldiers in back every now and then. 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. Nobufusa Baba 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 Nobufusa Baba and other important Takeda vassals.
Though Shingen and Kenshin still fought, Kenshin became concerned with fighting the Hojo. He also fought with the Ashina clan, another powerful clan of the time. Kenshin expanded his territory again but was forced to retreat when he ran short on supplies. Shingen died around the time and Kenshin reportedly wept for the loss of a good rival.
Sometime later Kenshin Uesugi fought with Nobunaga Oda. He defeated Nobunaga Oda despite being outnumbered and might have further expaned into Nobunaga's lands. However Nobunaga Oda was fortunate and Kenshin Uesugi died slightly after the battle. Some say he died on a lavatory, others say he was assassinated by a ninja. However most likely he died from sickness since Nobunaga Oda persecuted ninjas. Kenshin might have become the most powerful ruler in Japan and could have lived on to defeat Nobunaga Oda perhaps had he not died.
Category:1530 births
Category:1578 deaths
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