Stories of the Japanese 00791 [Late Kamakura Period] Nitta Yoshisada Raises an Army*

Since Nitta Yoshisada has appeared here for the first time, let us briefly review the relationship between the Nitta and Ashikaga clans.
As previously mentioned (see episode 00468), Minamoto no Yoshikuni caused trouble in Kyoto in the 6th year of Kyuan (1150) and retired to his territory, Ashikaga-no-sho in Shimotsuke Province (Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture), to avoid arrest.
Yoshikuni had two sons. The eldest, Yoshishige, settled in Nitta-no-sho (Ota City, Gunma Prefecture) and began calling himself Nitta Yoshishige. His seventh-generation descendant is Nitta Yoshisada. Meanwhile, the second son, Yoshiyasu, settled in Ashikaga-no-sho and began calling himself Ashikaga Yoshiyasu. His seventh-generation descendant is Ashikaga Takauji. In other words, both the Nitta and Ashikaga clans originated from the Minamoto clan.
Nitta Yoshisada had been dispatched to Kyoto by the shogunate's order to participate in the siege of Chihaya Castle, but the "Taiheiki" records that he already had the intention of abandoning the shogunate at that point.
"I want to overthrow the shogunate by obtaining an imperial decree from Daito-no-miya (Prince Morinaga)."
To this, his steward Funada Yoshimasa (?-1336) replied,
"Then I will go and obtain the imperial decree."
He set off and, surprisingly, returned a few days later with an imperial decree from Emperor Go-Daigo. This was likely modeled after the episode of Mongaku in the "Heike Monogatari" (see episode 00460).
However, Yoshisada did not immediately raise an army to overthrow the shogunate. For some reason, he withdrew from the Battle of Chihaya Castle and seems to have returned to his home in Nitta-no-sho by May of the 3rd year of Genko/2nd year of Shokei (1333). The reason for this is unknown.
After that, a decisive event occurred that led Nitta Yoshisada to decide to raise an army. Shogunate envoys Kanazawa Chikatsura (?-1333) and Kuronuma Hikoshiro (?-1333) made an unreasonable demand to the farmers of Nitta-no-sho:
"To cover war expenses, raise 60,000 kan within five days."
The shogunate was attempting to collect directly from the farmers, bypassing Yoshisada, the lord of the manor, and Yoshisada could not remain silent. When Yoshisada arrived to find Kanazawa and Kuronuma persistently pressing the farmers, he ended up cutting both of them down on the spot.
This killing of the envoys was an act of rebellion from which there was no turning back. Having decided to overthrow the shogunate, Yoshisada raised his army at Ikushina Shrine (Ota City, Gunma Prefecture) on May 8th. Since his initial force was said to be only 150 horsemen, no one could have predicted that the Kamakura Shogunate would fall just two weeks later.
From here, Yoshisada marched south, aiming for Kamakura.