Kenshin Uesugi

> *"Bishamonten is watching over us! Fear not! Charge!"*
> - Kenshin Uesugi
>
>

Kenshin Uesugi is one of the Daimyō featured in Demon Chaos. He appears in the game as the head of the Uesugi Clan and ruler of Echigo Province.

## Description

Kenshin appears as Daimyō of Echigo in the middle of a long conflict with Shingen Takeda of the Takeda Clan. He is a devoted worshiper of Bishamonten and is always seen wearing a white cape and covered face with black and gold body armour.

## Personality

Kenshin appears fearless in battle, even when faced with Demons. He appears very devout to the diety Bishamonten, often asking for his protection in battle. Despite their rivalry, Kenshin upholds a code of honour when he sees Shingen endangered by the Demons, and lends him aid. It is clear that this respect is mutual between them.

## Plot

### Kawanakajima (July, 1562)

On his way to the fifth battle in Kawanakajima, Kenshin Uesugi and his men are ambushed by Demons. Instead of retreating, Kenshin leads his men into battle. Sensing the presence of Demons, Aoi and Inugami head towards Kenshin’s location. After the nearby Demons are defeated, Kenshin thanks Aoi and Inugami for their help. Aoi agrees to accompany Kenshin for the purpose of defeating the nearby Demons, but shows no interest in his conquest against Shingen Takeda. Later, when the group finds Shingen fighting against a swarm of Demons, Kenshin orders his men to support him, forming a temporary alliance between the bitter enemies.

### Nanao (September, 1577)

After the death of Shingen, Kenshin begins a conquest for Noto Province. Just as he is about to succeed, a horde of Demons cut Kenshin off from his base of operations, Nanao Castle. With the help of Aoi and Inugami, he is able to reclaim the castle.

## True History

Kenshin was originally born on February 18th, 1530, as Kagetora Nagao of the Nagao Clan. After the death of his father there was a struggle between his brothers for leadership of the clan. Kenshin was relocated to Rizen Temple in order to be removed from the conflict and studied there between the ages of 7 and 14.

Aged 14, Kenshin was contacted by acquaintances of his late father who urged him to go to Echigo and contest his older brother's ineffective rule. At first Kenshin was reluctant, but was eventually convinced that it was necessary to the survival of Echigo. Kenshin succeeded in wresting control of the clan from his brother in 1548. At the age of 19 he became the head of the family and entered the Kasugayama Castle, but still as the retainer of the Uesugi clan.
In the year 1551, Kenshin was called upon to provide refuge for his lord, Norimasa Uesugi, who had been forced to flee there by the Hōjō clan. He agreed to give the warlord shelter, under specific terms: Norimasa's adoption of Kenshin as his heir, the change of his name from Kagetora to Terutora (later Kenshin), the title Lord of Echigo, and the Kantō Kanrei post as Shogun's deputy. In 1552 he started to wage war against the Hōjō clan.

Though he now had rule over the Nagao and Uesugi clans, much of Echigo was still independent of Kenshin’s rule. He immediately set out to cement his power in the region, but far more pressing concerns appeared. Nagatoki Ogasawara and Yoshikiyo Murakami, two Shinano lords, both requested Kenshin’s help in halting the advances of the powerful warlord Shingen Takeda, who had won major victories in Shinano Province. With the Takeda's conquests taking them remarkably close to the borders of Echigo, Kenshin agreed to help.

What followed was the beginning of a rivalry which became legendary. Over the years, there would eventually be a total number of five battles between Kenshin and Shingen at Kawanakajima.

In 1561, Kenshin and Shingen fought the biggest battle they would fight, the fourth battle of Kawanakajima. During this battle, Kenshin managed to ride up to Shingen and slashed at him with his sword. Shingen fended off the blows with his iron war fan. Kenshin failed to finish Shingen off before a Takeda retainer drove him away. Shingen made a counter-attack and the Uesugi army retreated. The result of the fourth battle of Kawanakajima is still uncertain though it is generally considered a draw. It was the largest casualty battle in the Sengoku period, with an estimated loss of 72% of Kenshin's army and 62% of Shingen's army.

Despite their rivalry, there was an incident when the Hōjō boycotted salt supplies to Kai Province. When Kenshin heard of Shingen's problem he sent salt from his own province. Kenshin commented that the Hōjō had "performed a very mean act" and added, "I do not fight with salt, but with the sword". His respect for Shingen is evident, for when Shingen died in 1573, Kenshin privately wept and stated, "I have lost my good rival. We won't have a hero like that again!".

In the year 1576, Kenshin began to consider the issue of Nobunaga Oda, who had since grown to be Japan's most powerful warlord of the time. With both Shingen and Ujiyasu Hōjō dead, Kenshin was no longer blocked from expansion. So, when the death of a lord in Noto Province sparked up confusion and conflict, Kenshin was quick to take land from the weakened clan, which put him in a position to threaten Nobunaga and his allies. In response, Nobunaga pulled together his own forces to meet Kenshin, who successfully besieged Nanao Castle in Kaga Province. Kenshin based his 30,000 strong army at the castle of Matsuto, while Nobunaga arrived with 50,000 troops led by many famous generals. Despite Nobunaga's overwhelming numbers, Kenshin managed to claim victory.

In October 1577, Kenshin arranged to put forth a grand army to continue his assaults into Nobunaga's land. In 1578 he entered an alliance with Katsuyori Takeda against Nobunaga, but died of in the spring of 1578 from an ongoing medical condition.