Conflicts & Resolutions · Battle

Battles of Kawanakajima

1553–1564 · 16th century

The Battles of Kawanakajima were five battles fought between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin from 1553 to 1564 on the plain of Kawanakajima in northern Shinano, Japan. The fourth, in 1561, was one of the bloodiest of the Sengoku period, with heavy losses on both sides, but none of the battles was decisive. They became legendary in Japanese literature and art.

Battles of Kawanakajima
Image: after Katsukawa Shuntei (died in 1824) by Hiroshige(1797-1858) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Takeda clan domainUesugi clan domain

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Battles of Kawanakajima. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battles-of-kawanakajima
MLA
“Battles of Kawanakajima.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battles-of-kawanakajima. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Battles of Kawanakajima.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battles-of-kawanakajima.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Battles of Kawanakajima’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battles-of-kawanakajima (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻