He was born as the second son of Yusuke YAMAGUCHI, who had years of experience as a masterless samurai in the domain of Akashi and had become a vassal of Hatamoto (a direct retainer of the shogun), the Suzuki family holding 1,000 koku as its kokudaka (stipend).
明石藩を浪人したあと石高1,000石の旗本鈴木家の家臣となった山口祐助の次男として生まれた。