This Jushi is sometimes translated into modern Japanese as cousin, but it had no blood relationship in this case and meant 'a person who had a deep relationship with the Minamoto clan, although he was not the Minamoto clan.'
この従子は現代語訳では従兄弟と訳されることもあるが、この場合は血縁上の従兄弟ではなく「一門ではないが、近い源氏」という意味である。