Career
He was also called Matsudono Motofusa (松殿 基房), as he came from the village of Matsudono, near Kyoto. Though wielding great power as sesshō and kampaku, Motofusa was prevented from becoming the head of the Fujiwara family by the political maneuvers of Taira no Kiyomori. An incident in 1170, while Motofusa was on his way to the Hōjuji Palace, further cemented his rivalry with the Taira clan.
The Regent, along with a large retinue, was making his way to the palace for a ceremony which the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa was supposed to attend, when a young boy refused to make way for him and his retinue.
As a result, the Regent"s men smashed the boy"s carriage and humiliated him. These events, while seemingly minor on the surface, led to a rift between Emperor Go-Shirakawa and the Taira, and therefore to closer relations between Go-Shirakawa and the Minamoto, enemies of the Taira.
1166–1168: Sessho under Emperor Rokujō. 1168–1172: Sessho under Emperor Takakura.
1172–1179: Kampaku under Emperor Takakura.
