Sean had relationship with Senan at the end of the shogunate, in 1871 he sent Shinpachi MURATA to Senan's place and received the twelve regulations of action, then he went to Kyoto for reformation of the nation's politics with it at his side.
西郷は幕末に潜庵とつきあいがあり、明治4年（1871年）に村田新八を潜庵の元に派遣し、対策12ヶ条を得て、それを持って大政改革のために上京している。