Until recently, it was believed that Yoshitada was chosen in haste to succeed his father because his two older brothers, Yoshichika and Yoshikuni, had been killed or exiled by the Imperial Court in punishment for their violent behavior or act of insurrection.
近年まで、義忠は兄の義親・義国の二人が謀反や乱暴などの理由で朝廷から討伐されたり流罪に処されていた為に、父義家の死後急遽家督を継いだとされてきた。