On February 6, 1865, Shinsaku was disinherited by the Takasugi family and treated as 'Hagukumi' (peasant who became a samurai through a system unique to the Choshu clan).
慶応元年（1865年）1月11日付で晋作は高杉家を廃嫡されて「育（はぐくみ）」扱いとされた。