However, the Niwa clan sided with the West Army in the Battle of Sekigahara, and was deprived of samurai status and the family territories forfeited, so Seigen became ronin (masterless samurai), shaving his head, and moved to Otsu City to be a bamboo-ware artisan.
しかし関ヶ原の戦いで丹羽氏は西軍に付き改易、浪人となったために剃髪して大津市に移り住み、竹細工職人となった。