On the decorative frame he donated to Ritsumeikan University, he wrote his name as 'Fujiwara no Kinmochi' using the surname Fujiwara, which makes it clear that he was well-aware of being a descendant of the Fujiwara clan that existed with the Imperial family for well over one thousand years.
西園寺は立命館大学に寄贈した扁額に「藤原公望」と西園寺家の本姓の藤原姓で名前を記したように、自らが千年以上皇室とともにあった藤原氏の末裔であるという自覚を持っていた。