In 1863, he smuggled himself to Glasgow, London to study with Hirobumi ITO, Kaoru INOUE, Masaru INOUE and Kinsuke ENDO, who were together called Choshu-Goketsu (five feudal retainers in Chosyu Domain) and learned the various kinds of engineering.
文久3年（1863年）、密航でロンドン・グラスゴーに、伊藤博文・井上馨・井上勝・遠藤謹助と共に留学し、長州五傑と呼ばれさまざまな工学を学ぶ。