Sessho (regent) Kaneie, the father of Michitaka, died and Michitaka became Sessho and wished to put up Teishi as empress to reinforce his political power, but the post of the empress was not vacant because Junshi stayed as empress even after the abdication of Emperor Enyu, and FUJIWARA no Senshi, the real mother of Ichijo, was Empress Dowager and Masako was Grand Empress Dowager.
折りから道隆の父摂政兼家が死去し、新たに摂政となった道隆は自己の政治的立場を強化するためにも定子を皇后に立てることを望んだが、当時、皇后には円融の退位後も遵子がそのままとどまっており、皇太后には一条の生母藤原詮子が、太皇太后には昌子が就いており、后位に空席はなかった。