Stories of the Japanese 01077 [Mid-Nanbokucho Period] The Sixth Battle of Kyoto: The Death of Hyogo-no-suke

Having looked at the Battle of Kannan, let us now turn our attention to the situation in Kyoto.
February 6, 1355 (Shōhei 10 / Bunna 4). Having gathered sufficient forces at Shijūkun-in in Omi Province and regained his strength, Takauji entered Kyoto with 30,000 cavalry and set up camp at Higashiyama.
Yoriaki Niki, who had allowed the enemy to invade Tanba, arrived at Arashiyama with 3,000 cavalry from Tanba and Tango.
Even though the enemy had come this close, Tadafuyu, who was at To-ji Temple, made no move to sortie on February 6th or the following day, the 7th. He appeared terribly lethargic. Perhaps his tendency to suddenly lose motivation at critical moments, or conversely, to become suddenly eager, was inherited from his father.
Instead of fighting, both armies destroyed various shrine and temple buildings to use as shields, cut down mountain trees for firewood and tower materials, and burned down private homes to clear lines of sight for spotting the enemy. It was a terrible state of affairs.
In the end, the fighting began on February 8th. This battle is called the Sixth Battle of Kyoto, but it is also known as the "Bunna To-ji Battle."
The first to charge into the enemy ranks was the 1,000-strong army of Kiyouji Hosokawa. Kiyouji attacked 800 enemy cavalry stationed at Shijo-Omiya and scattered them. After the enemy forces quickly retreated, one warrior remained, looking like a commander, dressed in magnificent armor and riding a black horse. That warrior said,
"So, you must be Kiyouji Hosokawa. I am Tada-tsune Momoi, who has come up from the Hokuriku Road. Witness the sharpness of my blade."
He then provoked Kiyouji.
Kiyouji, realizing the enemy was the high-ranking Momoi, thought him a worthy opponent for single combat. As soon as he approached, he grabbed the enemy's helmet, cut off his head, and, bringing the head before Takauji, happily reported,
"I have slain Harima-no-kami Momoi."
However, it did not look like Momoi at all.
When he showed it to a man named Taro Hatta, an enemy soldier who had surrendered the day before, Hatta shed tears and said,
"This is a man named Hyogo-no-suke Ninomiya, a resident of Etchu. Last year, in front of the Kehi Shrine in Tsuruga, he wrote a pledge and pasted it to a pillar of the shrine, saying, 'If I encounter Niki, Hosokawa, or their ilk in the upcoming battle in Kyoto, I intend to call myself Momoi and challenge them to a duel.' He must have truly died in battle just as he said."
This episode recounted in the Taiheiki is clearly inspired by the story of Sanemori Saito from the Tale of the Heike (see episode 00478).