In 1893, he was implicated in a plot of the Sohma Incident and imprisoned for five months; although he was finally declared not guilty, he was given a leave of absence as Chief of Hygienic Bureau, and he fell into obscurity for a while.
明治26年（1893年）、相馬事件に巻き込まれて5ヶ月間にわたって収監され最終的には無罪となったものの衛生局長を非職となり、一時逼塞する破目となった。