After attending the preparatory school Keio University he graduated from the 15th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1886.

His classmates was the future Prime Minister Okada Keisuke and admirals Takeshita Isamu and Takarabe Takeshi.

He was commissioned as a lieutenant on February 20, 1895, and served as chief torpedo officer on the cruisers Hiei, Chiyoda, and Yoshino in 1899.

During the Russo-Japanese War, he was Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō's liaison with the civilian government in Tokyo.

[1] He returned to sea in 1907 as executive officer on the cruiser Yakumo followed by the Iwami, and after commanding a number of destroyer squadrons was promoted to captain on October 11, 1909.