According to Mutsu Waki (A Tale of Mutsu), Tuneshige was appointed to be the successor to MINAMOTO no Yoritomo as Mutsu no kami in 1062 and "galloped off Kyoto by whipping horse" to subdue uprisings of the Abe clan.
陸奥話記によると1062年（康平5年）春、源頼義の後を受け陸奥守を拝命し安倍氏(奥州)の乱平定のため京を「鞭を揚げて発進」せる。