Deguchi was born in Fukuchiyama, Tanba Province (present day Kyoto Prefecture) on January 22, 1837.

She was born in the middle of a famine, so her parents considered abandoning her, but chose not to after Deguchi's grandmother scolded them.

Her father, Gorosaburo Kirimura, died of cholera when she was 9, leaving Deguchi to work to support the family.

They had 8 children, but because of Masagoro's alcoholism and financial mismanagement, the family lived in poverty.

[2] In 1892, Deguchi was possessed by a spirit called Ushitora no Konjin, who prophesied that the world would soon end and that a savior would come and create heaven on earth.