In 1861 he became 6-dan and took the tonsure to prepare himself for participating in the oshirogo (castle game of Go), but he never had a chance to do so because the oshirogo was discontinued from the following year.
文久元年(1861年)六段、剃髪して御城碁に備えるが、翌年から御城碁は行われなくなり、出仕する機会を得なかった。