Although his family was expelled from Shibata Domain in his father's time and he was simply a wandering ronin (masterless samurai), his performance in the duel at Takadanobaba was so impressive that he was adopted as a son-in-law by Yahei HORIBE and became a vassal of the Ako Asano family.
父の代に新発田藩を放逐となり浪人していたが、高田馬場の決闘での活躍により、堀部弥兵衛の婿養子となり、赤穂浅野家の家臣となる。