The position of Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councilor of state) itself was low status and it could not be expected to directly connect to sessho or kanpaku (regent), but Yoshichika became a promising candidate for the next daijin or kanpaku, because of a precedent whereby FUJIWARA no Kanemichi (younger brother of Yoshichika's father, Koretada) was promoted from gon-chunagon to nairan naidaijin (minister of the center in the imperial palace) as an uncle of the emperor.
権中納言の官位自体は公卿の中では低く直ちに摂政関白に至る地位ではないものの、かつては藤原兼通（父・伊尹の弟）が天皇の伯父の資格で権中納言から一気に内覧内大臣に昇進してそのまま関白に就任した例もあり、義懐もまた次の大臣・関白の有力候補の一人になったのである。