Lord of Matsuyama Domain in Bitchu Province (present-day Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture), he recruited the Confucian scholar Yamada Hokoku as his domain adviser and successfully carried out domain reform, becoming known as a wise lord who achieved financial reconstruction and military modernization. Yamada Hokoku's influence was also passed on to Kawai Tsuginosuke. He became a shogunal elder in 1866 and in 1868 served as the chief elder, leading the shogunate at the outbreak of the Boshin War. After the defeat at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi he witnessed the shogunate's collapse as Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned to Edo. He subsequently participated in resistance movements in Tohoku and Aizu as part of the old shogunate forces but surrendered in 1869. He received a stipend from the Meiji government and was pardoned thanks to Yamada Hokoku's efforts, after which he spent his remaining years in peace. He is remembered in history as a figure with two faces: the wise lord of Matsuyama in Bitchu Province and the political leader of the shogunate in its final days. He died on July 1, 1889, at sixty-six.

A learned and moderate statesman. As domain lord he carried out wise administration by drawing on Yamada Hokoku's wisdom; as a shogunal elder he sought to remain loyal to the Tokugawa to the last. A man who valued sincerity over flexibility.

His wise governance of Matsuyama Domain in Bitchu Province and his achievement in identifying the outstanding talent of Yamada Hokoku are highly regarded. His sincere manner of supporting the shogunate to the last as a shogunal elder is spoken of as a model of Bakumatsu bushido.