With the early death of his older brother Fujiwara no Torikai, Nagate became the effective leader of the Hokke. In 737, he was promoted fromju roku-i no ge (従六位下) toju roku-i no jō (従六位上), but the emperor of the time,Shōmu, favored Nagate's younger brotherYatsuka. Nagate was not promoted again until 749, immediately before the emperor's abdication, when he gained the rank ofju shi-i no ge (従四位下).
He was more highly valued in the court of the new rulerEmpress Kōken, where he was promoted toju shi-i no jō (従四位上) in 750 and again in 754 toju san-mi (従三位), marking him among the ranks of thekugyō. Immediately after the death of ex-emperor Shōmu in 756, Nagate was promoted directly tochūnagon, skippingsangi entirely.
On the other hand, he remained in conflict with his powerful relativeFujiwara no Nakamaro. After the disinheritance of Crown Prince Funado in 757, he joined withFujiwara no Toyonari in supporting Prince Shioyaki as Empress Kōken's new heir, but Nakamaro's favored candidate Prince Ōi, the futureEmperor Junnin, won out. In 758, Nagate was the only member of a committee to sit out adaijō-kan meeting called by Nakamaro. After 757, Nakamaro controlled the court, and this bad relationship left Nagate in an uncomfortable political position, despite his status as the third most powerful man in the Daijō-kan afterIshikawa no Toshitari andFun'ya no Kiyomi.
In 764, Fujiwara no Nakamaro rebelled, and Nagate supported the side of Empress Kōken andDōkyō. He was promoted toshō san-mi (正三位) anddainagon and conferred honors, second-class. After Dōkyō established his power, and after Toyonari's death in 765, Nagate held his position as the most powerfulkugyō in thedaijō-kan until his death. In 766 he was promoted toudaijin and thensadaijin, and obtained the rank ofshō ni-i (正二位).
Empress Kōken died in 770, and in the ensuing dispute over the heir, Nagate supported Prince Shirakabe, the futureEmperor Kōnin. He was rewarded for his efforts with a promotion toshō ichi-i (正一位) by the new sovereign.
Nagate died of sickness on March 11, 771, at the age of 58. He was posthumously granted the position ofDaijō-daijin on the same day.
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