The family was an influential family of the Ashikaga clan, which was founded by MINAMOTO no Yoshikuni, a child of MINAMOTO no Yoshiie who was a Chinju-fu shogun (Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of the North) and head of the Kawachi-Genji which was a family line of Seiwa-Genji (Minamoto clan) originated from Emperor Seiwa.
家系は清和天皇の血をひく清和源氏の一家系　河内源氏の棟梁　鎮守府将軍源義家の子　源義国を足利氏の有力一門。