The Shingen Museum, with support from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, held a special countdown exhibition, “The Renowned Lord Takeda Shingen and his Legendary General Yamamoto Kansuke,” from September 14 to November 21, 2022, to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Shingen’s death.

“The Legend and Truth of Yamamoto Kansuke” introduced the real Yamamoto Kansuke (1493 or 1500 to 1561), the most famous of the Takeda clan’s vassals, from the legendary military strategist mentioned in the Kōyō Gunkan, a record of the military exploits of the Takeda clan, to the real Yamamoto Kansuke as revealed in contemporary documents.

In 1541, Takeda Shingen, supported by his vassals and fiefdom, banished his tyrannical father, Nobutora, to Suruga Province, modern-day Shizuoka Prefecture, and became the head of the Takeda clan, thereby stabilizing the province. It was near the beginning of this expansion of the Takeda clan’s power that Kansuke entered the service of Shingen (1543 or 1544).

Kansuke was recommended to Shingen as a man with excellent castle-building skills and was promptly taken into Shingen’s service. Kansuke is said to have launched a military operation during the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima, in which he fought a fierce battle with Uesugi Kenshin. However, other than the description of Kansuke in the Kōyō Gunkan, there were no other historical documents that indicated the existence or activities of the legendary general.

In 1969, his name was finally confirmed in a letter of commendation from Shingen to the Ichikawa clan, a powerful warrior family in the northern part of Shinano Province, modern-day Nagano Prefecture. From the contents of the letter, it can be inferred that Kansuke was not only Takeda’s emissary but was also entrusted with the mission to propose to the Ichikawa clan that they should oppose Uesugi’s forces. Another document, discovered in Gunma Prefecture in 2008, contains evidence of Kansuke’s true significance as one of Shingen’s most trusted generals. This document reveals that Shingen had requested Kansuke to consider military operations in northern Shinano and even to visit Shingen’s chief vassal when the vassal was ill. In yet another letter, Shingen promised to reward Kansuke for fighting.

The exhibition included old documents and paintings depicting Kansuke, who died in the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561. The exhibition revealed the real-life Yamamoto Kansuke, who worked tirelessly for Shingen, and brought to light the life of a legendary general who fought desperately to survive during the Warring States period.