Since he had lived in Kyoto as a member of the Fujiwara clan till his grandfather's time (to be precise, in his father's youth), he made use of his blood relationship for political maneuvering and succeeded in developing the influence of the Ashikaga clan.
祖父の代（正確には父の若い頃）まで藤原氏として在京しており、血縁を活かした中央工作で、足利氏の影響力を高めることに成功した。