In 1169, Goshirakawa entered the priesthood and became a cloistered emperor, and Kiyomori actively aligned himself with Goshirakawa by vowing to follow the precepts with him at Todai-ji Temple.
嘉応元年（1169年）後白河は出家して法皇となるが、清盛は後白河とともに東大寺で受戒して協調につとめた。