His father was a teacher in the domain's school and a scholar of National Learning (kokugaku). In 1866, Soejima was sent to Nagasaki by the domain leaders to study the English language.
The passage describes Soejima's background, highlighting his father's role as a teacher and scholar of National Learning (kokugaku) and his subsequent journey to Nagasaki for English language studies at the behest of the domain leaders in 1866.