The ongoing conflict in the Kantō region following Kyōtoku Incident in 1454, plus general incompetence in the administration of Ashikaga Yoshimasa leading up to the Ōnin War contributed to poor agricultural production and a sluggish response to the famine, greatly increasing its death toll.
Rare astronomical phenomena were reported, including sun dogs and a meteor colliding with the moon, possibly connected to the Little Ice Age.
Ashikaga Yoshimasa did not take any action, as he was completely obsessed with building a new shogunal residence, the Hanano gosho [ja].
Even Lake Biwa flooded, submerging large parts of Ōmi Province, and causing population flight and the outbreak of plague among the refugees.
Wet conditions resulted in insect proliferation, and the swarm of Inago [ja] locusts took off in autumn of 1460, further devastating rice paddies.