After having been defeated in Miyazaki City and in Sadowara, the Satsuma army forces set up a fighting formation beside the Takanabe-gawa River as follows in preparation for attacks by the government army: the troops led by those including KIRINO, HENMI, NAKAJIMA, KIJIMA, and Shuichiro KONO, the Kumamoto-tai troop led by IKEBE, and the combined troop led by ARIMA as well as the Takanabe-tai troop.
そこで宮崎市・佐土原と敗北した薩軍は、桐野をはじめ辺見、中島・貴島・河野主一郎らの諸隊と、池辺の熊本隊、有馬が率いる協同隊やほかに高鍋隊も高鍋河畔に軍を構えて官軍の進撃に備えた。