The Kenmu Restoration appeared to be a reactionary movement, but was in fact an old and ignorant imperial dictatorship, and most of the measures introduced, such as aristocracy-centered political management that excluded the samurai, sudden reforms, inability to handle lawsuits for land, inequality in rewards, and the unreasonable Daidairi Construction Plan, caused discontent in various sectors, especially in the samurai class. As a consequence, criticism of the government for its incompetency grew, as was evidenced in the famous Nijogawara Graffiti, and the government completely lost power over the public.
建武の新政は表面上は復古的であるが、内実は蒙古的な天皇専制を目指し、武家を排除した公家中心の政権運営を敷き、性急な改革、土地訴訟への対応の不備や恩賞の不公平、大内裏建設計画などその施策の大半が各方面、特に武士勢力の不満を呼び、また有名な二条河原の落書に観られるようにその無能を批判され、権威を全く失墜した。