In 1849, he was born in Kameyama, Tanba Province (today's Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture) as the grandson of Masaaki MITAMURA, who was a feudal retainer of Kameyama Domain of Tanba Province, and became a disciple of the 12th Tendo school, Kazune SHIMOGAWARA, who was a grandmaster of swordplay of the Tendo school of the domain in 1858.
1849年（嘉永2年）、丹波亀山藩士・美田村正明の孫として丹波国亀山（現京都府亀岡市）に生まれ、1858年（安政5年）、藩の天道流剣術師範役・下河原一寧（天道流第12代）に入門する。