The Monk-Emperor urged Yoshinaka to mobilize his army by giving him a sword personally so that Yoshinaka could not disobey; he left his right hand-man Kanemitsu HIGUCHI in Kyoto in order to keep an eye on Monk-Emperor Go-Shirakawa and set off to Harima Province on September 20th in order to search and destroy the Heishi clan.
法皇は自ら義仲に刀を下賜して出陣を促し、やむなく義仲は腹心の樋口兼光を京都に残して後白河法皇を牽制しながら、9月20日に平氏追討のために播磨国へ向かって出陣した。