He became an adopted child of Sakon, a son of his father's older brother by a concubine Naritaka KUKI, and he was fostered out to Kongosho-ji Temple at the age of eight and took the name of Hisayoshi.
父の庶兄九鬼成隆の子左近の養子となり、8歳の時金剛証寺に預けられ、寿良と名乗る。