The "Taiheiki" and "Baishoron" describe Yoshisada, who was then residing at Nitta-no-sho on the pretext of being ill, as having made up his mind to raise an army after he captured chozeishi (person in charge of tax collection) Chikatsura KANAZAWA (Kanazawa line) (bakufu hikitsuke bugyo (the chief of shogunate office of high court), a member of tokuso family of the Hojo clan, another view is the Ki clan), and Hikoshiro KURONUMA (miuchibito) who came to Nitta-no-sho in order to collect military expenses, and imprisoning Chikatsura and killing Hikoshiro.
『太平記』と『梅松論』では、病気と称して新田荘に逼塞していた義貞が、軍費の取立てのため新田荘の検分に来た幕府の徴税使・金沢親連(金沢流)（幕府引付奉行、北条氏得宗の一族、紀氏とする説もある）と黒沼彦四郎（御内人）を捕えて、親連を幽閉し、彦四郎を斬ったことで、挙兵を決意したと記してある。