The most famous branch family of the Minamoto clan was the Seiwa-Genji who established Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and became Seii Taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians"), whereas the noblest was the Murakami-Genji.
もっとも有名なものは、幕府を開き征夷大将軍の家柄となった清和源氏であるが、家格が最も高いのは村上源氏であるとされる。