Those who were amply rewarded for their meritorious contribution to the shogunate's defeat--Takauji ASHIKAGA, Yoshisada NITTA, Masashige KUSUNOKI, etc.--were only a tiny fraction of those who fought, and Norimura (Enshin) AKAMATSU, who had joined the struggle to overthrow the shogunate from the very beginning, was forced to forfeit his Protectorship of Harima Province, and the chaos caused by situations, like when a single plot of land found itself with multiple owners, showed the unfairness of the system to reward distinguished service against the shogunate, making it likely that discontent against the new government was strong right from the beginning; but Emperor Godaigo's vassals Sadafusa YOSHIDA and Tadaaki CHIGUSA were made to take the blame for this situation and were driven out of office and forced to take the tonsure.
倒幕の功に応じて十分な恩賞を与えられた武士は、足利尊氏、新田義貞、楠木正成ら一部に過ぎず、最初から倒幕運動に加わって六波羅攻略に功を立てた赤松則村（円心）が播磨国の守護職を没収されたり、1つの土地に何人もの領主が現れて混乱するなど倒幕の功に対する恩賞が不公平で、新政の初期から武士の不満は強かったと推測され、後醍醐の近臣である吉田定房や千種忠顕が詰め腹を切らされる形で出家させられている。