Sukehito was considered a replacement for his half brother Sanehito did not become Crown Prince, but under the protection of his long-lived grandmother Teishi (Komyomonin), at one time he was influential in the political field as a rival candidate for Emperor against Shirakawa and his son Emperor Horikawa.
同母弟として実仁の身代わりとみなされた輔仁は、皇太子にはなれなかったものの、長寿を保った祖母禎子（陽明門院）の庇護の下、白河とその子息堀河天皇の皇位継承上のライバルとして一時は政界に大きな勢力を有した。