While Sanesuke always acted as the head of a family opposed to the house of Kujo, he also exhibited flexible behavior toward the Kujo family, especially in his later years, requesting Michinaga and his son, FUJIWARA no Yorimichi, to help his adopted son, Sukehira, to succeed him as the head of the family and to inherit the family property intact.
常に九条流に対抗する家の当主として活躍したが、晩年は子の資平への家督継承と家領温存のため、道長・藤原頼通親子に口入を申し出るなど、九条流への柔軟な行動も見られる。