Whereas the mobilization during the Hogen Rebellion had been public, sanctioned by the state, this time the order to muster had to be given in the utmost secrecy due to the coup, and so Yoshitomo was only able to assemble what soldiers he had immediately around him; it is conjectured that his army, in the end, numbered very few indeed.
保元の乱では国家による公的な動員だったのに対して今回はクーデターのための隠密裏の召集であり、義朝が組織できたのは私的武力に限られ兵力は僅少だったと推測される。