The Kawanakajima campaign is unique in Japanese history, perhaps even in world history, in that five battles were fought over the same battlefield by the same protagonists within the space of 12 years. The combatants were two of the greatest of the daimyo (samurai warlords), Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. The developments in arms, armour, notions of chivalry and leadership during this period are all illustrated by this seesaw series of clashes, but led ultimately to strategic stalemate with the 12-year power struggle between Takeda and Uesugi finally being settled in other arenas. Nevertheless the decade-long feud of two of the greatest samurai warlords detailed in this book has become an epic of Japanese history.

Author Biography

Stephen Tumbull is the world's leading English language authority on medieval Japan and the samurai. He has travelled extensively in the far east, particularly in Japan and Korea and is the author of 'The Samurai - A Military History' and Men-at-Arms 86: 'Samurai Armies 1550-1615'. Christa Hook began her illustrating career in 1986. Her work has featured extensively in the worlds of publishing and television, and she has established herself as one of Osprey's most popular illustrators. Her illustrations combine the historian's attention to detail with the artist's sense of drama and atmosphere, and they are sought after by collectors worldwide.