It is believed that in her younger years she became a handmaid (described as 'Makatachi (handmaid) of the prince' in the caption for the 129th poem in Vol. 2 of the "Manyoshu") of Prince Otsu, and had a love triangle involving Prince Kusakabe.
若い頃に大津皇子の侍女（「宮の侍（まかたち）」と『万葉集』巻2・129番歌題詞にある）となり、草壁皇子も交えた三角関係を持ったといわれている。