It was common for the Mokudai of the governor's office and temples/shrines at the province to fight over various aspects regarding shoen (private estates) owned by temples, but this incident sent ripples into the central government and caused a full confrontation between the Sanmon and the cloistered government group because Hakusan was a branch temple of the Sanmon and the governor was a child of Saiko, a close aide of the cloistered government.
国衙の目代と現地の寺社が、寺領荘園の所務を巡り紛争を起こすことは各地で頻発していたが、この事件では白山が山門の末寺で、国司が院近臣・西光の子であることから、中央に波及して山門と院勢力の全面衝突に発展した。