According to the story of "Okagami" (The Great Mirror), FUJIWARA no Kinto was known as a person with whom FUJIWARA no Michinaga had a strong rivalry in his childhood, however, in reality, he often worked with Michinaga in such cases as Dairi Utaawase (the palace poetry contest) on July 24, 986, in which he was selected and participated together with Michinaga and Tadanobu as a representative of the young nobles.
藤原公任は『大鏡』に描かれた幼少期の藤原道長が強いライバル意識を持った相手として知られているものの、実際には寛和2年6月10日(旧暦)の内裏歌合で若手貴族の代表として道長・斉信ともに選ばれるなど、青年時代から共に行動することが多かった。