(Later ITO justified himself by saying that he delivered a secret letter from Keido MATSUMOTO to Tomomi IWAKURA; however, when one considers the relationship between Tomomi IWAKURA and Keido MATSUMOTO, the above is an unlikely circumstance; Senzo MORI, a great scholar who shares his hometown with Mitsuya ITO declares, 'It is no more than an excuse made by an escapee Mitsuya.')
（後に伊藤は松本奎堂の密書を岩倉具視に届けたと弁明しているが、岩倉具視と松本奎堂の関係を考えればあり得ないことである。伊藤三弥と同郷の碩学森銑三は「脱走者三弥の言い訳に過ぎない」と断じている）。