This was the site of five fierce battles fought between Takeda
Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. The Kawanaka area as the name
implies is an island surrounded by the Chikuma and the Saigawa
Rivers. In the civil war period, Takeda, lord of Kai, set out to
conquer the Shinano region and was stopped by Uesugi, lord of
Echigo, in fierce battles around this area. The first battle was
fought in 1553. The most famous battle is the battle of 1561
where 20,000 soldiers from Takeda fought with 13,000 soldiers
from Uesugi. Of the total number, 6000 soldiers died in this
single battle but neither side won. There is a statue of the two
war lords in a hand-to-hand combat on the site where they
actually fought the duel. In the fight, it is said that Kenshin
attacked Shingen with a sword and Shingen thwarted his opponent
with a few receiving only minor injuries. There is also a
monument to this episode where Kenshin is said to have inflicted
seven wounds on Shingen with three blows of the sword. There is
also a rock with the remai