It is said that everyone was aware of his liking of Confucianism and his extensive knowledge, but he expressed a surprising lack of skill with literature, declaring that he 'couldn't stand traditional Japanese waka poetry' and that Chinese poetry was also not his forte.
また、儒学を好み誰しもが認める博識であったが、意外にも文学を不得手としており、「和歌の道に堪えず」と公言して漢詩も得意ではなかったと言われている。