At age 13, he read the 'Taiheiki' (The Record of the Great Peace) which made him revere the Emperor. At age 18 he left a note, left his family and led an itinerant life preaching the theory of reverence for the Emperor.
十三歳のときに「太平記」を読んだことをきっかけに勤皇の志を持ち、十八歳のときに遺書を残して家を出て、各地を遊歴して勤皇論を説く。