The Kiyohara family had KIYOHARA no Sanehira, who was the first son of Takesada and Kiyohira's older brother-in-law, Kiyohira, and KIYOHARA no Iehira, who was Kiyohira's younger maternal half-brother, as well as KIMIKO no Hidetake, who was a cousin and son-in-law of KIYOHARA no Takenori, and thus this complex kinship relationship might easily cause a dispute between the family members.
清原家には、清衡の異父異母兄になる武貞の長子清原真衡、清衡、異父弟になる清原家衡があったうえに、吉彦秀武が清原武則の従兄弟にして娘婿であるなど複雑な血縁関係で結ばれた一族が存在しており、ややもすると血族の間で内紛が起こり易い状態にあった。