In 1848, he professionally learned English from Ranald MacDonald, an American who had entered Japan disguising himself as a castaway; he became an interpreter who could used Dutch and English perfectly and played very important role in those days.
嘉永元年（1848年）、偽装漂着のアメリカ人ラナルド・マクドナルドから本格的に英語を学び、蘭・英2カ国語を使いこなせる通詞として活躍する。