Roshins (main retainers) who had been active since Tenmu dynasty left one after another, for example, ISONOKAMI no Maro who promoted to Sadaijin following Shima was also pushed into the proxy governor of Fujiwara-kyo (the Imperial capital of Japan for sixteen years between 694 and 710) in transferring of the national capital to Heijo, and FUJIWARA no Fuhito built the first golden age of the Fujiwara clan (In Nagayao no Hen (Conspiracy of Nagayao), his son, Ikemori aligned with Fujiwara four brothers who were the sons of Fuhito to reject Nagayao.)
嶋の次に左大臣に出世した石上麻呂も、平城京遷都においては藤原京の留守役を押し付けられる等天武朝から活躍していた老臣達は次々と姿を消し、藤原不比等が藤原氏最初の黄金時代を築く事となる（なお、息子の池守は長屋王の変では不比等の息子達である藤原四兄弟と組んで、王を排斥している）。