He was highly esteemed as the elder statesman and became a person of great influence in the army as well as Aritomo YAMAGATA, but lacked in political ambitions and a desire for power, and thereby kept declining to be a candidate of the prime minister together with Tsugumichi SAIGO.
元老としても重きをなし、陸軍では山縣有朋と並ぶ大実力者となったが、政治的野心や権力欲は乏しく、元老の中では西郷従道と並んで総理候補に擬せられることを終始避け続けた。