The battles of Kawanakajima (Kawanakajima no gassen) were fought in the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province in the plain of Kawanakajima, Nagano. Five major battles took place there. The best known and most severe among them was fought in the heart of the Kawanakajima plain, thus being the "battle of Kawanakajima". The battles became one of the most cherished tales in Japanese military history, the epitome of Japanese chivalry and romance.