In 1333, after winning against the bakufu army at Mt. Senjo, Emperor Godaigo assembled pro-Imperialist warlords who were in the Chugoku region such as Nagatoshi NAWA, and before the Emperor's return to Kyoto, he sent an advanced army with Tono Chujo (the first secretary's captain) Tadaaki CHIGUSA as the supreme commander to join with Norimura AKAMATSU of the Harima Domain who was surrounding the capital and attacking the Rokuhara Tandai (the office of shogunal deputy in Kyoto placed by the Kamakura bakufu).
元弘3年（1333年）、先の船上山の戦いにおいて幕府軍に対し勝利を収めた後醍醐天皇は、名和長年ら中国地方周辺の勤皇派諸将を結集、京都への還幸の為の露払いとして頭中将・千種忠顕を総大将とした先発隊を送り込み、先に京を囲み六波羅探題を攻撃していた播磨国の赤松則村と合流させる。