In Kyushu, where the Kikuchi clan of the Southern Court faction, which was protecting Prince Kaneyoshi, who was a both a member of the imperial family and the seisai taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the western barbarians"), Noriuji ISSHIKI (Doken), who was the Kyushu tandai (regional commissioner in Kyushu) under the ASHIKAGA clan and was based in the Hakata district, and Yorinao SHONI, who was an official of Dazaifu (governmental office with jurisdiction over Kyushu, Iki and Tsushima under the ritsuryo system), had been in contention with each other, Tadafuyu fought against the Isshiki clan, who had received the order from Shogun Takauji to subjugate Tadafuyu, and cooperated with the Seisaifu government of Imperial Prince Kaneyoshi, with the aim of capturing Dazaifu.
九州には、征西将軍宮懐良親王を擁する南朝方の菊池氏や、足利方の九州探題で博多を本拠とした一色範氏（道猷）、大宰府の少弐頼尚らの勢力が鼎立していたところ、直冬は、将軍尊氏より直冬の討伐命令を受けた一色氏らと戦い、懐良親王の征西府と協調路線を取り大宰府攻略を目指す。