Since he was still very young, he served Emperor Kazan, because his mother was the Emperor's nanny, and after Emperor Kazan's enthronement, he exercised influence as one of the closest attendants to the Emperor comparable with FUJIWARA no Yoshichika.
花山天皇の乳母子であった関係によって早くからその身辺に仕え、その即位後は藤原義懐と並ぶ第一の側近として権勢を振るった。