Since Sano fought back Okitsugu TANUMA who had such a great power as being called Tanuma period (the period when Okitsugu Tanuma led the government for about 20 years during the middle of the Edo period) and was famous for bribery, he was admired as 'Yonaoshi Daimyo-jin' (the Great God who reformed the world).
当時、田沼時代と呼ばれるほどの権勢を誇り、収賄の悪名高かった田沼意次に一矢報いたことから、佐野は「世直し大明神」と崇められた。