Her father was SUGAWARA no Takasue, who was Zuryo (the head of the provincial governors) of Kazusa and Hitachi Provinces and a descendant of SUGAWARA no Michizane, while her mother was a daughter of FUJIWARA no Tomoyasu and her aunt (an older sister of her mother) was the author of "Kagero Nikki" (The Gossamer Years), the mother of FUJIWARA no Michitsuna.
彼女の父は、菅原道真の血を引く上総・常陸の受領・菅原孝標であり、母は藤原倫寧の娘で、おば（母の姉）は『蜻蛉日記』の作者である藤原道綱母であった。