He was the fifth son of Gon Chunagon FUJIWARA no Kanemitsu (a provisional vice-council of state), and his mother was a daughter of hoin (the highest rank in the hierarchy of Buddhist priests) Inkei (sculptor of Buddha statues in the late Heian period) or Insho (sculptor of Buddha statues in the early Kamakura period)
権中納言藤原兼光の5男で母は法印院慶もしくは院尚の娘。