In 1559, while in Kyoto an acquaintance, Sakihisa KONOE, expressed his impression in a letter, 'shohitsu (assistant director of danjodai., Imperial Prosecuting and Investigating Office under the ritsuryo system) (referring to Kenshin) seemed to prefer young people as he often gathered many frail wakashu (younger members of soson village system), and often drank a lot of sake through the night,' some historians related this letter to the fact that Kenshin had no relationship with women throughout his lifetime, and concluded that he preferred men.
永禄2年（1559年）、上洛した謙信と交流した近衛前久は「この間は度々おいで候て、華奢なる若衆を多く集め候て、大酒までにて、たびたび夜をあかし申し候、少弼（謙信）は若いのが好みとの由承り候」と謙信を観察しており、この書状と謙信が生涯にわたって女犯を一切断ったことを結びつけて、謙信は専ら男色のみを愛好したと見る歴史家もいる。