Uesugi Kenshin, the Dragon of Echigo (1530–1578)

Kenshin was the daimyō of Echigo Province and one of the most famous samurai during Japan's Sengoku period. Born into the Nagao clan, he was raised in a Buddhist monastery where he took monastic vows, which did not prevent him from fighting his brother for succession to power in Echigo Province. Also famous was his decades-long rivalry with the powerful daimyō Takeda Shingen of Kai Province, whom he faced in the famous Battle of Kawanakajima, which ended in a draw for both sides.