He was a master of Sho (Japanese flute) and assigned to Dainagon (chief councilor of state) on December 930, which was a little later than FUJIWARA no Tadahira, his uncle, and FUJIWARA no Saneyori and FUJIWARA no Morosuke, his cousins, because his father Tokihira died early and Tadahira succeeded the family estates.
笙の名手だったが、父時平の早世で藤原氏の嫡流が叔父の藤原忠平に移ったため、大納言に出世したのは930年(延長(日本)8年)12月の事であり、忠平や従兄弟の藤原実頼、藤原師輔に比べやや遅れた。