Takeda Shingen was educated by highly respected Zen Buddhist monks from an early age. As a result, he studied classical Chinese literature and became well-versed in Chinese poetry. Shingen respected the military tactics of Sun Tzu (circa 5th century BCE), the renowned ancient Chinese military strategist who is credited as the author of The Art of War. As a code of conduct for his army, Shingen used a passage from The Art of War on a banner and displayed it on the battlefield. It is said that he started using this banner from the time of the Battle of Kawanakajima against Uesugi Kenshin.
The banner quoted four phrases from The Art of War: “As swift as wind, As gentle as a forest, As fierce as fire, As unshakable as a mountain.”
In addition to being a military commander who excelled in the martial arts, Shingen had a deep knowledge of culture and the fine arts, and was highly respected by court nobles and the emperor’s envoys in Kyōto.
As part of the refined persona he projected, Shingen built a mansion modelled after those of the Ashikaga shoguns in Kyōto, to which he invited court nobles and their retainers to lavish poetry festivals.
Shingen was known as an outstanding cultural figure, composing waka (Japanese poetry) as well as painting. In the samurai society of the time, the appreciation of waka poetry was not just a matter of acquiring it as an intellectual pursuit. The poetry readings and subsequent banquets had a strong political significance as they served as occasions for diplomacy, the exchange of information, and the reinforcement of the sovereign-servant relationship.
Moreover, the extensive gardens of the Takeda residence were used to further demonstrate his social status and power when welcoming distinguished guests. Such gardens were an essential part of daimyō diplomacy.
Unsurprisingly, excavations at the site of Lord Shingen’s former residence have revealed high-quality ceramics and porcelain dating from Song-Dynasty China (960-1279 CE). These items would have been given pride of place in the slightly raised alcove of the room where emissaries and guests from throughout Japan were received. Displaying such fine ceramics would have further attested to Shingen’s power.
