After his eldest brother Yoshitomo went to Togoku (the Kanto region) with no government post, Yoshikata was assigned to an important government job and it is considered that Yoshikata was in the position to succeed the main line of the Kawachi-genji family.
長兄の義朝が無官のまま東国（関東）に下った後、重要な官職に補任されており、この時点では河内源氏の嫡流を継承すべき立場にあったと考えられる。