Ōshio and his allies were forced to start the rebellion earlier than planned because a traitor informant had informed the authorities. On February 19, 1837, Ōshio set fire to his house in Ōsaka as a signal for his followers to start the rebellion before the Bakufu troops had the chance to suppress them. He ordered the farmers to burn tax archives and ordered the poor to rob the warehouses of the rich and redistribute the rice among the hungry population. Although planned in detail, the uprising was a fiasco. The insurgents were poorly trained in the use of weapons and combat techniques, but also the bakufu troops were inadequate. Eventually, the government soldiers were able to suppress the uprising and Ōshio, together with his son, fled to the mountains. He was followed, but lit his shelter on fire before the bakufu troops could arrest him. He burned himself and his son alive.
