As the intra-clan hostilities among the Heishi (i.e., the Taira clan) spread into Shimosa and Hitachi provinces, he attacked the kokuga (provincial government office) of each province in Kanto, and confiscated the innyaku (the great seal and key); therefore, he came to be viewed as an enemy by the Imperial Court.
下総国、常陸国に広がった平氏一族の抗争に端を発し、関東諸国の国衙を襲い、印鑰を奪ったことから朝廷から敵と見なされた。