The background for why he was twice punished with exile lies in his promoting of the idea of 'benevolent rule,' in which he and Emperor Fushimi sought to restore true power to the imperial court and fell into an intensifying conflict with the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun); one explanation has it that Tamekane served as scapegoat for the Emperor, being punished in his stead.
2度の流刑の背景には「徳政」の推進を通じて朝廷の権威を取り戻そうとしていた伏見天皇と鎌倉幕府の対立が激化して、為兼が天皇の身代わりとして処分されたという説もある。