The famine occurred during a period of conflict (Jisho-Juei War), and there remain many historical documents which describe the situation in detail such as the Genpei Seisuiki (The Rise and Decline of the Minamoto and Taira clans) and the Hojoki (An Account of My Hut).
源氏・平氏による争乱期（治承・寿永の乱）の最中に発生した飢饉であり、源平盛衰記や方丈記など当時の状況を詳細に記す史料も多い。