The Kono clan was the head family of what used to be a powerful clan, but by the time Ippen was born, it no longer had the influence it once had, due in part to the exile of his grandfather Michinobu KONO to Mutsu Province in response to his having joined the Kyogata (the group that took the side of the Imperial court, which was located in Kyoto) during the Jokyu War of 1221, which brought the clan to ruin.
有力氏族であった本家の河野氏は、承久3年（1221年）の承久の乱で京方について祖父の河野通信が陸奥国に配流されるなどして没落し、一遍が生まれた頃にはかつての勢いを失っていた。