In the Imperial Court, on the other hand, conflict had arisen between the Kameyama (Daikakuji) and the Gofukakusa (Jimyoin) branches of the Imperial line; a system of alternating Emperors from each lineage was in place, and in 1318 Emperor Godaigo of the Daikakuji lineage became Emperor, taking the Engi and Tenryaku eras, the reigns of Emperors Daigo and Murakami in the Heian period, as his ideal, he aimed in secret to overthrow the Kamakura bakufu.
その一方で、朝廷では大覚寺統と持明院統が対立しており、相互に皇位を交代する両統迭立が行われており、1318年（文保2年）に大覚寺統の後醍醐天皇が即位し、平安時代の醍醐天皇、村上天皇の治世である延喜・天暦の治を理想とし、鎌倉幕府の打倒をひそかに目指していた。