As he was born in a family of In no kinshin (vassal attending on a retired emperor), he served the retired Emperor Gotoba, but also had kept contact with the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and became qualified for Gokenin (a lower-ranking vassal during the Kamakura era) even though he was staying in Kyoto.
院近臣の家に生まれて後鳥羽上皇に仕えるが、早くから鎌倉幕府にも通じて在京のまま御家人としての資格を得る。