The Kōyō Gunkan is a military treatise of the Takeda clan, one of the prominent clans of medieval Japan, best known for the military exploits of the prodigious general Takeda Shingen. This book was completed by Obata Kagenori, a vassal of the Takeda clan, and it records in detail historical battles of the Takeda, military strategy, army organization, and other aspects pertaining to the bushido and the proper comportment of a samurai. Inside there is a section about the 4 types of commanders that bring ruin to their country and clan, which I summarized below:
The foolish commander. This is the selfish ruler who day in and day out indulges in pleasures and festivities, like trips, moon-viewing parties, hanami, and any other eccentricities that catch his fancy. He devotes himself solely to entertainment, and even though he may take up martial arts on a whim, he can't seriously practice them because his heart always drifts to one thing or another. Many flatterers gather around such a lord, while those willing to remonstrate with him grow fewer. If he were wise, he would know his abilities and recognize flattery when praised for something he isn't good at, but he gets carried away by compliments and is oblivious to right and wrong. This type of commander attracts many sycophants, while good men leave from his employ. The retainers who advance in position thanks to flattery speak ill of good retainers and spread lies to boast of their achievements, even though they haven't achieved anything by 30 or 40. The most representative example given for such a general is the son of Imagawa Yoshimoto, Ujizane. Instead of heeding the council that had served his family for successive generations, he only listened to and relied on a man named Miura Uemon and his connections, bringing the wrath of the Mikawa samurai upon his family.
The too clever general.
He is prone to fits of pride or depression. Such a lord is thrifty with paying
his retainers, who have to resort to taxing the peasants for their livelihood.
Being confident in his cleverness, he doesn't listen to advice, or when hearing
the opinions of someone knowledgeable about things, he nods approvingly,
pretending to understand. If victorious in battle, he takes all the credit,
ignoring the contribution of others. If there are capable men among his chief
retainers, he looks at them with suspicion. A good general would acknowledge
the achievements of his men and would praise them accordingly, and by doing so
his men would grow braver and more loyal. The example given for this type of
general is Takeda Shingen's heir, Yoshinobu. At the battle of Kawanakajima, he
openly criticized his father's strategy, eventually rebelling against him, and
being forced to commit seppuku.
The cowardly general.
Such a lord is suspicious towards his retainers, promoting those who flatter
him and treating coldly those who would remonstrate with him. He doesn't know
the ability of his men, and because he is oblivious to duty, his men seek
better employment. He flees from battle and is envious of others, trying to
thwart them from success. The example given is of Uesugi Sadamasa of the
Oogigayatsu family, who grew suspicious of his retainer Oota Doukan, who proved
capable in his assignments. Sadamasa had Doukan assassinated, and because of
this, he lost many retainers and became enemies with Uesugi Akisada of the
Yamanouchi family. He died when he fell from his horse when crossing a river to
attack Akisada.
The overly strong commander.
He is confident, quick-witted, eloquent in speech and wise. Because he despises
weakness in everything, including words, his retainers can't properly
communicate with him, and he takes a liking to those who speak only bold and
strong words. Such a lord wants to appear stronger than his predecessors, so he
acts in a high and mighty manner. His men fight to the death over any minor
trouble, while those who hold their lives dear feign illness so that they can
be exempted from military service. Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori is given as
example. Being the son of such an accomplished general, he wanted to surpass
his father. In search of a glorious victory that would propel him forward from
his father's shadow, he fought recklessly and was defeated, bringing
destruction to his clan.
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| Takeda Katsuyori |
Source(s): 武士道の名著 - 日本人の精神史
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