Vassal of the shogun and statesman. Adopted from the Hatamoto (direct vassal of the shogun) Yamaoka family into the Takahashi family (his mother’s family). Deishu was the younger brother of the spearman YAMAOKA Seizan’s. In 1859, he assumed the post of grand master at the Kobusho, and in 1866 he became the leader of the Yugekitai (commando unit of the Tokugawa shogunate). After the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, he guarded TOKUGAWA Yoshinobu at Kan’ei-ji Temple, who swore allegiance to the Imperial Court. He retired after the Meiji Restoration. Together with KATSU Kaishu and YAMAOKA Tesshu, he is known as one of the Bakumatsu Sanshu (three personages with the character ‘shu’ in their name at the end of the Edo period).