In "The Tale of Heiji," Muneko is depicted as having made every effort to spare Yoritomo's life, because Yoritomo was the very image of Iemori; however, in reality, it can be surmised that Muneko was acting in response to appeals made by Princess Muneko (a daughter of Taikenmonin, and an elder sister of Goshirakawa's born to the same mother) to whom Yoritomo had been in the service of, and the family of Atsuta Guji (chief of those who serves shrine, controls festivals and general affairs of the Atsuta Shinto Shrine) which was the In no Kinshin (vassal attending on a retired emperor) family of Taikenmonin (a family to which Yoritomo was related on his mother side).
『平治物語』では、頼朝が家盛に生き写しだったことから宗子が助命に奔走したとするが、実際には頼朝が仕えていた統子内親王（待賢門院の娘、後白河の同母姉）や同じ待賢門院近臣家の熱田宮司家（頼朝の母方の親族）の働きかけによるものと推測される。