However, branch families of Naotsune such as Rengaku KUMAGAI, his child, Naomura KUMAGAI, and his nephew, Naozumi KUMAGAI, joined the Southern Court (Japan) force and shut themselves in the Yano-jo Castle in order to stop the ASHIKAGA force from going to Tokyo.
しかし直経の分家筋であった熊谷蓮覚とその子熊谷直村、甥の熊谷直統らは南朝(日本)方に味方し、足利軍の東上を阻むべく矢野城に立て篭もった。