Statesman. Born in Kumamoto, the son of a samurai of the Kumamoto Clan. In 1888, he graduated from the Law College of the Imperial University. He successively held offices as counselor of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau and prefectural governor of Tokushima, Shizuoka, and Miyagi prefectures. In 1908, when the second Katsura cabinet was in power, he became Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police Department. In 1911, he was selected as a member of the House of Peers by Imperial command.