He contributed a little as a politician, but possessed academic knowledge gained his father (while his father was still alive, he was often absorbed in debate at Jin no sadame (Ancient Cabinet Council) with his father, who was said to be the great scholar of that time) and left his name in the history of gagaku (old Japanese court music) as a musician who represented the Heian era along with MINAMOTO no Hiromasa.
政治家としての業績には乏しいが、父親譲りの学識を持ち（父の在世中に陣定の場で当代随一の碩学と称された父と論争してやり込めたという）、雅楽の歴史においては源博雅と並ぶ平安時代を代表する音楽家として名を残している。