He recited a Gogonzekku (a poem of four lines, each of five (Chinese) characters) of Toshisen (Selection of Tang Poems, late 16th century) when he was four years old, and he distinguished himself when he learned at Hanko Nisshinkan (a school of the Aizu Domain).
4歳で唐詩選の五言絶句を暗唱、藩校日新館に学んで頭角を現す。