Takeda Shingen was one of the late Sengoku period’s most powerful daimyōs, able to combine military might with diplomatic and domestic intelligence.

The first-born son of Takeda Nobutora, he rebelled against his father in a bloodless coup, taking control of the Takeda clan in 1540 and finding many military successes in the following 20-plus years.

He famously re-armed his horse-archer samurai with spears, turning them into lancers. The Takeda cavalry soon became feared, their shock charges crashing into enemy lines and clinching victory after victory.