Kanin was originally the residence of FUJIWARA no Fuyutsugu who formed the basis of the Northern House's prosperity, before it was inherited and lived by Kinsue, then it was also used as a satodairi (a temporary palace) from the end of the Heian period to the early Kamakura period.
閑院はもともと北家繁栄の基礎を築いた藤原冬嗣の邸宅で、公季がこれを伝領し住み、平安時代末期から鎌倉時代初期にかけては里内裏としても使用された。