Takeda clan The was a Japanese clan active from the late Heian Period ( 794 – 1185 ) until the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 . The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present - day Yamanashi Prefecture . Major figures . Nobushige , Nobutake , Nobumitsu , Nobuyoshi , Nobutora , Harunobu ( Shingen ) , Katsuyori History . Origin . The Takeda were descendants of Emperor Seiwa ( 850 - 880 ) and are a branch of the Minamoto clan ( Seiwa Genji ) , by Minamoto no Yoshimitsu ( 1056 – 1127 ) , brother to the " Chinjufu - shogun " Minamoto no Yoshiie ( 1039 – 1106 ) . Minamoto no Yoshikiyo ( 1075 ? – 1149 ? ) , son of Yoshimitsu , was the first to take the name of Takeda . Kamakura to early Azuchi – Momoyama periods . In the 12th century , at the end of the Heian period , the Takeda family controlled Kai Province . Along with a number of other families , they aided their cousin Minamoto no Yoritomo against the Taira clan in the Genpei War . When Minamoto no Yoritomo was first defeated at Ishibashiyama ( 1181 ) , Takeda Nobuyoshi was applied for help and the Takeda sent an army of 20 , 000 men to support Yoritomo . Takeda Nobumitsu ( 1162 – 1248 ) , helped the Hōjō during the Shokyu War ( 1221 ) and in reward received the governorship of Aki Province . Until the Sengoku period , the Takeda were " shugo " of Kai , Aki and Wakasa provinces . Sengoku period . Immediately prior to the Sengoku period , the Takeda helped to suppress the Rebellion of Uesugi Zenshū ( 1416 – 1417 ) . Uesugi Zenshū ( ? – 1417 ) was the " kanrei " chief advisor to Ashikaga Mochiuji , an enemy of the central Ashikaga shogunate and the Kantō kubō governor - general of the Kantō Region . Mochiuji , lord of the Uesugi clan , made a reprisal against the Takeda clan in 1415 . This reprisal began a rivalry between the Uesugi and Takeda clans which would last roughly 150 years until the destruction of the Takeda clan at the end of the Sengoku period . Takeda Shingen . Takeda Harunobu ( 1467 – 1568 ) succeeded his father Nobutora in 1540 and became " shugo " lord of Kai Province in present - day Yamanashi Prefecture . In this period the Takeda began to quickly expand from their base in Kai Province . In 1559 , Harunobu changed his name to the better - known Takeda Shingen . He faced the Hōjō clan a number of times , and most of his expansion was to the north , where he fought his most famous battles against Uesugi Kenshin . This series of regional skirmishes is known as the Battles of Kawanakajima . The battles began in 1553 , and the best known and severest among them was fought on September 10 , 1561 . Shingen is famous for his tactical genius , and innovations , though some historians have argued that his tactics were not particularly impressive nor revolutionary . Nevertheless , Shingen is perhaps most famous for his use of the cavalry charge . Up until the mid - 16th century and Shingen ' s rise to power , mounted " samurai " were primarily archers . There was already a trend at this time towards larger infantry - based armies , including a large number of foot archers . In order to defeat these missile troops , Shingen transformed his " samurai " from archer s to lancer s . Shingen used the cavalry charge to devastating effect at the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1572 . The strength of Shingen ' s new tactic became so famous that the Takeda army came to be known as the " kiba gundan " ( 騎馬軍団 ) , or ' mounted army . ' Decline of the Takeda clan . Shingen died in on May 13 , 1573 at age 53 from illness . His less tactically talented son Takeda Katsuyori ( 1546 – 1582 ) succeeded Shingen and was defeated in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 by Oda Nobunaga . Nobunaga succeeded in eliminating the heirs of the Takeda clan after the Battle of Nagashino . The clan was effectively eliminated , although descendants of the Takeda clan would take prominent positions in the Tokugawa shogunate , established in 1603 . Modern period . Takeda is also a fairly common family name in modern Japan , though it is unlikely that everyone with the Takeda name is descended from this noble house ( several divisions of the family have the Takeda name ) . In fact , most of the real descendants of the Takeda had a different name when they created a cadet branch . During the Tokugawa period , several " daimyō " families were direct descendants of the Takeda . In 1868 , these " daimyō " families were : Cadet branches . Three major branches of the Takeda clan were established across Japan along with other smaller branches . Due to the establishment of cadet branches , the main Takeda clan in Kai Province is also referred to as the Kai Tekeda clan . All the cadet branches of the Takeda clan were ended shortly after the defeat of the Kai Takeda clan by Oda Nobunaga . Aki Takeda . The Aki Takeda clan , established in Aki Province in the present - day western part of Hiroshima Prefecture . Wakasa Takeda . The Wakasa Takeda clan was established in Wakasa Province in present - day southern Fukui Prefecture in approximately 1440 . The Wakasa were an offshoot of the Aki Takeda clan . The Wakasa Takeda were known for their patronage of the arts and developing the Takeda school of military etiquette . Kazusa Takeda . The Kazusa Takeda clan , established at the beginning of the Sengoku period in Kazusa Province in the present - day central area of Chiba Prefecture . Along with the Satomi clan of Awa Province in the southern part of present - day Chiba Prefecture the two clan replaced the dominance of the Chiba clan in the region . The Kazusa Takeda are also known as the Mariyatsu Takeda , a reference to their base of power , Mariyatsu Castle . Clan literature . The " Kōshū Hatto " , composed at some point in the 15th century , is the code of law of the Takeda family , while the " Kōyō Gunkan " , composed largely by Kōsaka Masanobu in the mid - 16th century , is an epic poem recording the family ' s history and Shingen ' s innovations in military tactics .