The life and works of Fujiwara no Shunzei played a major role in the development of medieval waka poetry. The third son of the noted poet Fujiwara no Toshitada and a fourth-generation descendant of the famous Heian regent Fujiwara no Michinaga, Shunzei's pedigree guaranteed him a place in the upper echelons of court society. It is unclear whether or not he received any exposure to poetry from his father, who died when he was ten years old. Regardless, Shunzei later came to see himself as belonging to a lineage of poets. This attitude reflected the increasingly specialized nature of poetic composition in the twelfth century as it changed from being an occasional, refined pastime to a michi (vocation), the compositional techniques and texts of which were passed down from father to son or master to disciple.

Upon his father's death Shunzei was adopted into the household of his...