Michichika became a son-in-law of TAIRA no Norimori, who was a younger brother of Kiyomori, and assumed the position of Kurodo no to (Head Chamberlain) and came to be known as the go-between between the Taira family and the Imperial Court.
清盛の弟である平教盛の婿になった通親は治承3年（1179年）に蔵人頭になって平家と朝廷のパイプ役として知られるようになった。