[2] This was a border area with the northern Daimyo, and was a defensive base to monitor invasions from the north.
[3] In 1557, Baba fought in the Kawanakajima campaigns, and led the Takeda army that besieged and destroyed Katsurayama, a major Uesugi clan stronghold.
In 1573, he took part in the Battle of Mikatagahara,[4] during which the troops under his command chased Tokugawa Ieyasu's army back to Hamamatsu fortress; upon seeing the gates open and braziers lit, Baba mistakenly suspected a trap, and did not press the fleeing army further.
[6] The deaths of Baba Nobuharu, Sanada Nobutsuna, Naito Masayo, Yamagata Masakage, and other brave warriors of Shingen's reign in the Battle of Nagashino led to the weakening of the Takeda family and its destruction in 1582.
Prior to Nagashino, Nobuharu was reputed to have fought in 70 battles without receiving a single wound.