Osamu HASHIMOTO proposed an alternative hypothesis that focused on the fact that Emperor Takakura held the ceremony for becoming Crown Prince at the Higashi Sanjo-den, the noblest of all residences within the Fujiwara family, and that the owner of this residence was Kiyomori's daughter, Moriko (FUJIWARA no Motozane had died 3 months before the ceremony), who could have strongly affected his position.
一方、橋本治はこれについて高倉天皇が立太子式を挙げた場所が藤原家の中でも最も格の高い邸宅であった東三条殿であったことに注目し、しかもこの東三条殿の当時の所有者が清盛の娘の盛子であった（藤原基実はこの立太子式の3ヶ月前に死去）ことが強く影響したという説を立てている。