Takeda Shingen
1521–1573 · Japanese · Sengoku Period
Known for: 'The Tiger of Kai'—master of espionage and information warfare in Japan's warring states era
Takeda Shingen was one of the most powerful daimyo of Japan's Sengoku period, known as 'the Tiger of Kai.' He built an extensive spy network and used terrain, weather, and intelligence to devastating effect against larger forces. His banner bore the famous motto from Sun Tzu: 'Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, immovable as the mountain.'
His five battles with his arch-rival Uesugi Kenshin at Kawanakajima are legendary in Japanese history. Shingen's death during a siege in 1573—possibly from a sniper's bullet—removed the greatest obstacle to Oda Nobunaga's unification of Japan. His deathbed order was to keep his death secret for three years.
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