His mother was Muneko (Naishi no suke (a court lady of the first rank) of the Emperor Horikawa and later on, menoto (a woman providing breast-feed to a highborn baby) of the Emperor Sutoku), a daughter of FUJIWARA no Takamune.
母は藤原隆宗の女、宗子（堀河天皇の典侍、後に崇徳天皇の乳母）。