Many lower-ranking samurai, for example, Sanai HASHIMOTO (a feudal retainer of Echizen) and Takamori SAIGO (a feudal retainer of Satsuma) for the Hitotsubashi group, and Shuzen NAGANO (a feudal retainer of Hikone) for the Nanki group, played important roles in those activities.
一橋派では橋本左内（越前藩士）・西郷隆盛（薩摩藩士）、南紀派では長野主膳（彦根藩士）ら下級武士がこれら工作に活躍した。