Historian. In the Bakumatsu period, he studied at Shohei-zaka Gakumonjyo academy. In 1871 he joined the Iwakura mission led by the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Iwakura Tomomi and visited the U.S. and European countries. After his return to Japan in 1873, he edited the report on their journey, called Tokumei Zenken Taishi Beio Kairan Jikki (A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation through the United States of America). After serving at the Shushikan (House of Historical Compilation) and Shushikyoku (Historical Compilation Bureau), he became a professor at the Imperial University in 1888. Facing the Hikka Incident (the Kume Affair), he left the Imperial University in 1892 and became a professor at Tokyo Senmon Gakko (later Waseda University). He empirically discussed ancient Japanese history and Japanese old documents studies. He also joined the Noh Revival movement and was involved in the establishment of Nohgaku-sha in 1881 and was a founding member of the Nohgaku Bungaku Kenkyukai study group, which started in 1904.