Born into a village headman's family in Konaka village, Shimotsuke (Sano, Tochigi).
While still young he became village headman.
Defending the villagers, he protested his lord's misrule and was imprisoned.
He became a member of the Tochigi prefectural assembly and joined the Freedom and People's Rights Movement.
He won a seat in the first election to the House of Representatives.
In the Diet he raised the damage done to farmland along the Watarase River by poison from the Ashio copper mine.
Resigning his seat, he tried to appeal directly to Emperor Meiji about the pollution.
He moved to Yanaka village, slated to become a reservoir to contain the pollution, and resisted with the villagers.
Yanaka's houses were forcibly demolished, but he went on living there with the remaining villagers.
Still campaigning, he died of illness; his remaining possessions were said to be only a hat, diaries, a Bible and a few other things.
Goto ShojiroShibusawa EiichiKuroda KiyotakaItō HirobumiŌyama IwaoNiijima JōInoue MasaruSaigō Tsugumichi
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.