Emperor Go-Daigo escaped from Kyoto to Yoshino (present Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture) taking the Imperial Regalia of Japan with him in December, and announced that the transferred regalia were fake, so he established Yoshino Imperial Court (=Southern Court).
一方、後醍醐天皇は同年12月に三種の神器を帯して京都を脱出して吉野（奈良県吉野郡吉野町）へ逃れ、光明に譲った神器は偽であると宣言して吉野朝廷を開いた。