Not long ago I had the chance to visit Yamanashi prefecture
(山梨県) for the first time. Most of the land of this prefecture is
a big plain located north from Mount Fuji. Yamanashi is known
for its delicious peaches, for its beautiful landscapes, for
having the fastest train in the world (still under tests) and
for being the territory once ruled by Takeda Shingen, one of the
most respected daimyo (general, feudal lord) in the history of
Japan. I will write today about things that I learned about
Takeda Shingen during my visit to Yamanashi, specially thanks to
the nice taxi drivers that explained me the history of the area.
Takeda Shingen – 武田 信玄 Takeda Shingen armor Takeda Shingen never
ruled over a big part of Japan, and neither had a great army,
but he was feared even by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Oda Nobunaga and
Tokugawa Ieyasu, being Ieyasu the one that took control over all
Japan at the end of the 16th century. On of the keys to Takeda’s
power was the location of his territory, a big plain protected
by huge mount