Michichika was also good at waka and appointed to a wakadokoro yoryudo (a key member of waka house) and took the initiative in planning new chokusen wakashu (Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poems) which led to the compilation of 'Shin Kokin Waka Shu' (New Collection of Ancients and Modern Poems) (Michichika's waka was taken in many wakashu, collection of Japanese poems.
通親は和歌の才能にも優れ、和歌所寄人にも任じられて後の「新古今和歌集」編纂に通じる新しい勅撰和歌集の計画を主導している（「新古今和歌集」など多くの和歌集に通親の和歌が採用されている。