When the Boshin War broke out in 1868, he went to the Oshu region, and participated in the Hokuetsu War to defeat the army of the former bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun).
慶応4年(1868年)に戊辰戦争が勃発すると奥州方面へ出陣し、北越戦争に参戦して旧幕府軍を追討。