It has been said that the cause of his death was cerebral vascular disturbance due to hypertension caused by excessive drinking and intake of salt by pickled ume (plum) eaten with sake (a historical material describes that he fell in a toilet in the snow causing cerebral hemorrhage).
死因について、過度の飲酒とつまみの梅干による塩分の取りすぎによる高血圧が原因の脳血管障害と言われている（雪の中、厠で倒れたと史料にあることも、死因が脳溢血だと考えられる一因である）。