Minamoto-no Kiyomitsu, founder of Kai-Minamoto Clan in the Kai Region lived at the southern foot of Mount Yatsugatake and was blessed with male children. They lived in different areas of present-day Yamanashi Prefecture and expanded the clan’s power. The coming of age (genpuku) ceremony of one of the children, Nobuyoshi, took place at Takeda Hachiman-gu Shrine in Takeda (present-day Kamiyama Town in Nirasaki City) located to the south of Hemi. He took the name Takeda, and this marked the beginning of the Takeda Clan, which went on to become a distinguished family and produce Takeda Shingen.
Takeda Nobuyoshi played an active role in the Genpei War, and once served as a commander of samurai along with Minamoto-no Yoritomo and Yoshinaka. However, as Yoritomo sought to consolidate his power, he concluded that the Kai-Minamoto Clan was too independent to control, and decided to eliminate them. Ichijo Tadayori was killed, and Takeda Nobuyoshi resigned his position. Perhaps due to Nobuyoshi’s loss of power, the temple that takes care of Takeda Hachiman-gu Shrine, where Nobuyoshi’s genpuku took place, was not Ganjo-ji Temple, which was located nearby and deeply related to Nobuyoshi, but Hozen-ji Temple (Minami-Alps City), which was restored by Kagami Tomitsu, who was Nobuyoshi’s brother and who received favorable treatment from Minamoto-no Yoritomo.
In Kamiyama Town, Nirasaki City where Takeda Clan started, there are many historic sites related to Takeda Clan such as ruins of a castle, residence, temples and shrines where Nobuyoshi worshipped. Although they are away from the Bomichi road, these historic sites tell stories that connect the Kai-Minamoto Clan with the Takeda Clan. The landscape with Mount Yatsugatake to the north, Mount Kayagatake to the east, the Chichibu Mountain Range beyond, and Mount Fuji to the southeast.