Tadayoshi ASHIKAGA, who tried to prevent confrontation between buke (military authority) and court nobles, temples and shrines, and KO no Moronao, who put priority on expansion of the power of shogunate government, started to conflict with each other over the initiative of the government (please refer to "Kanno Disturbance") and Moroyasu was regarded as a key figure of the latter group.
このような公家や寺社と武家との対立を避けようとした足利直義と、武家の勢力伸張を第一と考えた高師直が、幕政の主導権をめぐって対立し始める（→「観応の擾乱」を参照のこと）と、師直派の中心人物と見なされる。