Doumanmaru was the eldest son of Uesugi Kagetora. His mother was the niece of Uesugi Kenshin, Seienin.

The Otate no Ran, the war for succession to the Uesugi Clan between his father and his uncle Uesugi Kagekatsu started when Doumanmaru was still a young child. When his father lost the battle for the Otate, Doumanmaru went with Uesugi Norimasa (who could be called his great-grandfather) into Kagekatsu's camp to offer Kagetora's surrender and sue for peace. However, he and Norimasa were both killed by Kagekatsu's troops (some say it was deliberate, others that it was an accident in the chaos).