The Battle of Kawanakajima in Shinshu: Hara Okuma no Kami, Uesugi Kenshin, and Takeda Shingen - Unsigned, Meiji Era

Stunning image of one of the most famous battles in Japanese history, The Battle of Kawanakajima,1561, fought between two samurai with a rivalry so great that it became the stuff of legends -- Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. The battle becomes personal as as Kenshin stikes a blow at Shingen, who blocks the attack with his fan; Kenshin wears his iconic monk's headdress, and Shingen wears his iconic red samurai armor with its fierce oni (demon) crested helmet. Shingen's retainer, Hara Okuma, rushes in to defend his master. This intriguing historical moment takes on a symbolic hue in this depiction: in the historical accounts, this close encounter between the two legends took place in the middle of the Takeda camp, but here it takes place in the middle of the river, referencing the name of the battle, which is named after the location of the battle itself, Kawanakajima (Island in the Middle of the River).