It is said that his father was FUJIWARA no Yasunori, who was Minbukyo (minister of popular affairs), from the Southern House of the Fujiwara clan and his mother was a daughter of ARIWARA no Narihira, but there is another view in which his father was the father of Yasunori, FUJIARA no Sadao (FUJIWARA no Tsugutada's grandson and FUJIWARA no Tadatoshi's son).
父は名地方官として知られた藤原南家の民部卿藤原保則、母は在原業平の娘とされているが、保則の父である藤原貞雄（右大臣藤原継縄の孫で藤原乙叡の子）を実父とする異説もある。