Once, at the Oigawa River, when Michinaga had set up boats of Chinese poetry, music and waka poetry, with the masters of each field aboard, and Kinto was asked which boat he would ride, he chose the boat of waka poetry and was praised for his composition, "As the wind blowing down Mt. Arashiyama is cold, there is no one who won't wear the fine dress of colored leaves."
道長が大堰川に漢詩の舟、管絃の舟、和歌の舟を出し、それぞれの分野の名人を乗せた際、乗る舟を尋ねられた公任は和歌の舟を選び、「小倉山嵐の風の寒ければもみぢの錦きぬ人ぞなき」と詠んで賞賛された。