From records of the time, his academic ability at 9 was said to be the same level as a 15 year-old, so his family and those around him, amidst the upheaval of Meiji Restoration, put their hope in his future.
当時の記録から、9歳で15歳相当の学力と推測されており、激動の明治維新に家族と周囲から将来を期待されることになった。