Kiyotaka KURODA worked as retainer of the Satsuma clan towards the conclusion of the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, and in the Boshin War from 1868 to 1869, he took command of troops as staff officer in the battle line of Hokuriku, the area from Hokuetsu to Shonai, and also in the Battle of Hakodate.
薩摩藩の藩士として、幕末に薩長同盟のため奔走し、1868年から1869年の戊辰戦争に際しては北越から庄内までの北陸戦線と、箱館戦争で参謀として指揮をとった。