[1] During the Soga–Mononobe conflict, Yorozu was among the Shinto loyalists who fought against the pro-Buddhist faction led by Soga no Umako.

When he learned that his lord Moriya had been defeated by Umako's forces, Yorozu escaped into the mountains near Arimakamura in Izumi Province.

[2] The Nihon Shoki describes the scene that played out once Yorozu was cornered in a bamboo grove by Imperial Guard (衛士) forces in league with Umako.

Yorozu used a system of ropes to rattle bamboo in order to confuse his pursuers as to his location within the grove, and killed a number of men with his bow and arrow.

[2] Surrounded, he said: "Though I have demonstrated nothing but valor as a shield for His Majesty, I have, without adequate explanation, been forced into a desperate situation such as this.