In January 1148, he was appointed to the post of Hitachi no suke (Assistant Governor of Hitachi Province) and was granted the court rank of Jushiinoge (Junior Forth Rank, Lower Grade), and elevated to the status of Uma no kami (Captain of the Right Division of Bureau of Horses), which demonstrated his rise in status approaching that of Kiyomori; however, he died of illness in 1149.
同年12月に常陸国となり、翌久安4年（1148年）正月には従四位下・右馬頭となって清盛に迫る勢いを示すが、久安5年（1149年）病死してしまう。