In 1057, he was appointed as Dewa no kuni no kami (Governor of Dewa Province), replacing MINAMOTO no Kanenaga, to support KUMAMOTO no Yoriyoshi who was fighting poorly in the Zenkunen War (the Early Nine Years' War) ("Fuso ryakki" [A Short History of Japan]).
同5年（1057年）、前九年の役で苦戦する源頼義の後援として源兼長に代わり出羽守に任じられ下向した（『扶桑略記』）。