In addition to the Azai-Asakura forces, Rokkaku Yoshikata was active as a guerrilla in the southern part of Omi and Koka, and the Miyoshi clan was also aiming to regain Kyoto by suppressing Settsu and Kawachi.

In addition, Kōsa, who led the Ikkō-ikki issued orders to the Settsu, Kawachi, Omi, Ise, and the Owari monks who were under Nobunaga’s thumb.

On January 2, 1571, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, the owner of Yokoyama Castle, was ordered to block the sea and land routes leading from Osaka to Echizen.

Hiei side refused the peace that promised to return the temple territory that Nobunaga extorted, and also supported the Asai-Asakura alliance.

The Enryaku-ji pleaded for the suspension of the attack by giving 300 gold coins, along with 200 more from nearby Katata, but Nobunaga refused.

On September 30, 1571, Oda Nobunaga ordered his entire army led by Sakuma Nobumori, Ikeda Tsuneoki and Akechi Mitsuhide to make a total attack.

In "Nobunaga Koki", the situation at this time was "On September 30, Mount Hiei was burned down, including Nemoto Nakado, the shrine to Sanno, and others".

[2] After that, in 1582, Nobunaga committed seppuku in the Honnoji Incident, and Mitsuhide was lost in the Battle of Yamazaki, and the surviving monks began to return to the mountain one after another.

Only one minor building survived the siege, the Ruri-dō (瑠璃堂, "Lapis Lazuli Hall"), which is located down a long, unmarked path from the Sai-tō complex.

Reconstruction of Enryaku-ji commenced not long after the death of Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but never regained its former size.

In the latter half of the 20th century, excavations were conducted intermittently due to the reconstruction of the area and the construction of the Oku-Hiei Driveway, and an archaeological reexamination of the burning of Mount Hiei was carried out.

According to archaeologist Yasuaki Kaneyasu, the only buildings that can be clearly pointed out to be burnt down by Nobunaga's burning are the Nemoto Nakado and the Grand Lecture Hall.

Therefore, the 500 temples and shrines described "Tokitsugu Yamashina" and "Diary on the Hot Spring" that were all turned into ashes, and 3000 monks and men were beheaded one by one, are likely greatly exaggerated.

Kaneyasu concluded that "the time has come to reconstruct the historical view of the Warring States period, including the character of Oda Nobunaga".