This rank was vacant for a long time after the death of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, and Motohiro was the first to be inaugurated to the position during the Edo period (Ieyasu TOKUGAWA and Hidetada TOKUGAWA were actually assigned to this position but did not participate in the imperial court government), and Motohiro, who had deep trust from both the Emperor Higashiyama and Ienobu TOKUGAWA, was inaugurated to the position.
この座は豊臣秀吉が死去して以後長く空位で、江戸時代に入ってからは基熈が実質上初めての就任（実際には徳川家康・徳川秀忠父子が就任しているが、ともに実際の朝廷の政務に当たった事は無い）であり、東山上皇・徳川家宣双方からともに厚い信頼を受けていた基熈であったからこそ可能となった就任といえる。