Even in the actual historical record, his promotion to Jusanmi was so unprecedented that Kanezane KUJO recorded this as 'the most unusual occurrence' in his journal "Gyokuyo."
史実でもこの頼政の従三位昇進は相当破格の扱いで、九条兼実が日記『玉葉』に「第一之珍事也」と記しているほどである。