信繁 武田
Nobushige Takeda was born in 1525. He was the second son of Nobutora Takeda and the younger brother of Shingen. Also he was affectionately called Samanosuke, he was his father's favorite son. This position, however, never affected his deep respect for his elder brother, who was content to leave the affairs of the family to Nobushige.
Takeda Nobushige held the favor of their father, and was meant to inherit the Takeda lands, wealth and power, becoming head of the clan. However, Shingen rebelled against their father and seized the lands and power for himself. Nobushige nevertheless fought alongside his brother who relied on him for support.
Nobushige became an important Takeda general and led large forces on several occasions. In 1544, Shingen had a rebellion on his hands. As part of his punitive effort he sent Nobushige to capture Fujisawa Yorichika's Kōjinyama castle. Katsurao castle, main castle of Murakami Yoshikiyo, fell to Nobushige and Takeda Yoshinobu in 1553. This drove Yoshikiyo to Uesugi Kenshin and was really the last significant act before the start of the Kawanakajima campaigns proper. It was in this last battle that Takeda Nobushige gave up his life.
