After taking a part in a campaign for the Boshin War, he went to Tokyo in 1869 to study at Shoheizaka Gakumonjo (Shoheizaka School), the predecessor of Tokyo University, and further more at Zoshikan school of Satsuma Domain.
戊辰戦争に従軍後、明治2年（1869年）、東京に上り昌平坂学問所（東京大学の前身）に学び、さらに薩摩藩の造士館にも学んだ。