After his father's death, he was one of the leading members of the imperial government, serving as Kanpaku for 50 years, spanning the reigns of Emperor Gosuzaku and Emperor Goreizei and, together with his father Michinaga, built what was the golden age of the Fujiwara clan.
父の死後は朝政の第一人者として後朱雀天皇・後冷泉天皇の御代に渡り、関白を50年の長きに渡って務め、父道長と共に藤原氏全盛時代を築いた。