His mother, Omiya, was the younger sister of Emperor Kiritsubo (in The Tale of Genji) and the mother of Aoi no Ue (it is often said that he is her older brother but the age gap is unknown).
母は桐壺帝の妹大宮(源氏物語)で、葵の上と同腹（兄とされることが多いが、年齢差は不明）。