He was born as a son of FUJIWARA no Ietsune, who was a member of the Manatsu line of the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan and served at Shikibusho (the Ministry of Ceremonial) as Monjo hakase (a professor of literature).
藤原北家真夏流で式部省・文章博士を勤めた学者である藤原家経の子として生まれる。