One of the most accomplished poets of her time, Izumi is known for the wild course of her love life. In addition to being twice married, she was, in succession, mistress to two princes who were brothers. The younger one, Astumichi, was her true love, and her diary is a fictionalized account of their affair. Little else is known of her life, but she left behind about 1,500 poems, often included in later anthologies.