It is also said that he was a son of Yakura TODO, a karo (high-ranking samurai) of Isehisai Domain, which was a branch of Tsu Domain, and that his alias 'Heisuke' derived from the name of a Todo family vassal.
また津藩の支藩である伊勢久居藩の家老藤堂八座の子とも云い、通称の「平助」は藤堂家功臣の名乗りを嗣いだものとも伝えられる。