The family line started from Mikawa no kami (Governor of Mikawa Province) MINAMOTO no Noriyori, who was a step-brother of the first Seii Taishogun (commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force against the barbarians, great, unifying leader) of Kamakura Shogunate MINAMOTO no Yoritomo, and the sixth son of the head of Kawachi-Genji, a branch family of the Seiwa-Genji (Minamoto clan originated from Emperor Seiwa), MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo.
家系は清和源氏ひとつ河内源氏の棟梁源義朝の六男で、鎌倉幕府初代征夷大将軍源頼朝の庶弟にあたる三河守源範頼を祖とする。