Visit the Takeda Shrine, honoring one of Japan’s great feudal warlords, revered by Japanese and international visitors. In the 1500s, Takeda Shingen expanded his clan’s lands from the Kai to Shinano provinces, areas known today as Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures.
Learn about Takeda’s history. Born into a powerful family of large landowners, he forced his father to retire so he could become daimyo, the military governor and feudal leader of the clan. From 1553 to 1564 Takeda engaged in bloody battles with Uesugi Kenshin, head of a rival clan. View Kurosawa Akira’s 1980 Japanese film Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) to learn about these heralded events.
Built in 1919, the Takeda Shrine is a place of worship, also part museum and part ruins of the clan’s ancient residence. Step through the torii gates to meander respectfully in the main hall and the prayer hall. Enter the prayer hall and gaze up to see 120 ceiling paintings of local plants and animals. Take a few minutes to receive blessings for your family’s safety, your business’s success or other areas of your life.
Walk through the grounds and notice the moats, ancient wells and remains of walls. Look for the treasure house, which holds armaments, equipment and clothing once belonging to Takeda. Because the daimyo was an esteemed military strategist, his pre-battle diagrams are particularly interesting. In managing the territory, Takeda also drove establishment and promotion of agriculture, commerce and water control, earning further respect from his subjects.
The Takeda Shrine and treasure house are open during normal business hours. While the shrine is free to enter, the treasure house has an admission fee. Plan to spend up to 1 hour to visit both parts of the site.
Find the Takeda Shrine about a 45-minute walk or 15-minute bus ride north of central Kofu. Join other celebrants at the April 12 festival marking the anniversary of Takeda’s death. Watch the troop parade on the evening before and the transport of a portable shrine to central Kofu. In autumn the site’s trees take on beautiful hues of yellow, orange and rust.
