Michinori came from a line of scholars that started with his great-grandfather, FUJIWARA no Sanenori, and his grandfather, FUJIWARA no Suetsuna, who was head of Daigaku no kami (Director of the Bureau of Education).
通憲の家系は曽祖父藤原実範以来代々学者の家系として知られ、祖父の藤原季綱は大学頭であった。