Government official in the early Meiji period. Founder of the police system. Participated in the Boshin War as a feudal retainer of the Satsuma domain. In 1871, became a daizoku (government official) of the Tokyo Prefectural Government and in 1872, became the president of the rasotsu (early Meiji era police). In 1872, he traveled to Europe to inspect the police system, and after returning to Japan, proposed the separation of the judicial police and the administrative police. In 1874, when the Metropolitan Police Department was established, he became the daikeishi (superintendent) and worked to establish the police organization under OKUBO Toshimichi, the secretary of the interior. During the Seinan War in 1877, he concurrently served as an army major general. In 1879, he died of illness on the way home from an overseas inspection.