The was the first defeat suffered by Takeda Shingen

Takeda Shingen

, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...

, and the first field battle in Japan at which firearms were used.

Takeda Shingen met up with his force that had taken Shika castle

Siege of Shika

The siege of Shika castle, spanning the years 1546 to 1547, was one of many battles fought in Takeda Shingen's bid to seize control of Shinano Province. Having just defeated Uesugi Norimasa at the battle of Odaihara, Shingen made use of 300 severed heads obtained at that battle to intimidate...

, and led 7000 men north to face the threat posed by Murakami Yoshikiyo

Murakami Yoshikiyo

Murakami Yoshikiyo a retainer of the Japanese clan of Uesugi during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. Yoshikiyo followed in fighting against both Takeda Nobutora and his son Takeda Shingen. Yoshikiyo was also a very close ally under Uesugi Kenshin.He fought at the Battles of Kawanakajima in...

. Shingen's vanguard was led by Itagaki Nobukata

Itagaki Nobukata

was a retainer of the Takeda family. His name is also seen with different kanji as 信形.Nobukata served under both Takeda Nobutora and Takeda Shingen and also was tasked with young Shingen...

; when they charged head-on into Murakami's vanguard, the charge was absorbed, and Itagaki killed.

Murakami made use of 50 ashigaru

Ashigaru

The Japanese ashigaru were foot-soldiers of medieval Japan. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 1300s, but it was during the Ashikaga Shogunate-Muromachi period that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.-Origins:Attempts were made in Japan by the Emperor...

armed with Chinese arquebus

Arquebus

The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...

es, who were meant to serve as support for archers. All in all, 700 of Takeda's men were killed, including Itagaki, and two other generals, Amari Torayasu

Amari Torayasu

was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, and served the Takeda clan under Takeda Nobutora and Shingen. Amari was a shukurō, or clan elder, following Shingen's accession to family headship and was one of Takeda Shingen's twenty-four generals. He was killed in action at the battle of Uedahara in...

 and Hajikano Den'emon. Shingen himself even suffered a spear wound to his side.