When Magiri-yokome (officer of prison) Masahiro TSUCHIMOCHI worried that Saigo might have been annoyed and asked if Saigo wanted him to limit visiting, then Saigo answered "no, Mr. Kawaguchi knows a lot about both Chinese and Japanese classics and is worth talking with, leave it like this."
間切横目の土持正照は、西郷が迷惑ではないかと案じて面会の制限を問うたところ、「いや。川口どんは和漢の学に通じ、語るに足るお人じゃ。こんままでよか」と西郷が答えたと伝えられている。