At this time, the leaders of the Rokkaku clan, using Kannonji Castle as a base, started to steadily build up military might. They made light of commands from the Ashikaga shogunate and eventually began to ignore the shogunate altogether. In 1487, General Ashikaga Yoshihisa brought with him an army to stamp out this rebellion, and a battle between Ashikaga and the Rokkaku forces ensued. Ashikaga mobilized "daimyōs" from several provinces against the castle of Kannonji, the headquarters of the Rokkaku; as a result, Rokkaku Masayori and Rokkaku Takayori (Masayori's son) were forced to flee to the castle of Kōka. The factual accuracy of their escape is debated; it is likely that they gave up the town to avoid a direct confrontation instead.