The justification for the so-called the direct descendant of the Minamoto family began with MINAMOTO no Yoshikuni, the most powerful among the Minamoto clan families, but it was transferred to the Ashikaga clan of Shimotsuke Genji, who had close family ties to the Hojo clan.
嫡流という名分は源氏一族の中で最大勢力である源義国に始まり、北条氏と密接な姻戚関係にある下野源氏の足利氏に移ることになる。