However, Sadamitsu Horiguchi, a member of Yoshisada's family, stopped Godaigo immediately before his departure saying 'if you want to go to Kyoto forgetting our family's longstanding loyalty, you should do so after you cut off the heads of over fifty persons of our family including Yoshisada.'
しかし、義貞の一族家臣堀口貞満が後醍醐に、「当家累年の忠義を捨てられ、京都に臨幸なさるべきにて候はば、義貞始め一族五十余人の首をはねて、お出であるべし」と奏上し、直前に阻止した。