The Yanagihara family was originally a family of noble race (court noble) which was the Hino family of the FUJIWARA Hokke (the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan) and known for being an academic family, however, its scholastic tradition had declined after the temporary discontinuation of the family line.
そもそも柳原家は藤原北家日野家の名家(公家)で学問の家として知られていたものの、一時家系が断絶した事もあってその学問は衰えていた。