At that time, Saicho had been appointed to one of the naikubu-juzenshi (the ten selected excellent priests for conducting Buddhist services in the Imperial Court) who were gojiso (a priest who prayed to guard the emperor), but Kukai was only an obscure priest.
最澄はこの時期すでに天皇の護持僧である内供奉十禅師の一人に任命されており、当時の仏教界に確固たる地位を築いていたが、空海はまったく無名の一沙門だった。