MINAMOTO no Yorimasa was a member of the Settsu Genji (a branch of the Minamoto clan) and traced his lineage back to MINAMOTO no Yorimitsu; as a warrior aristocrat stationed in the capital, whose power base was the ring of provinces surrounding the Kinai (the capital area), he was appointed the Protector of the Interior.
源頼政は源頼光の系譜に連なる摂津源氏で、畿内近国に基盤を持つ京武士として大内守護に任じられていた。