To recover the presence, the clan took those countermeasures, including transferring of its home base to Okishio-jo Castle, and the alliance of Yoshisuke AKAMATSU, the son of Harumasa and Nobunaga ODA, who was the then tenkabito (person becoming the ruler of the country), however, the clan lost in the battle against Munekage URAGAMI and it eventually collapsed.
このため、本拠を置塩城に移し、晴政の子・赤松義祐は当時の天下人である織田信長と同盟を結ぶなどして勢力回復を図るが、浦上宗景との戦いに敗れて結局は没落した。